The primary mission of Marine Band San Diego is to support the Commanding General of Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego and the Western Recruiting Region and other depot organizations. Additionally, the band performs a wide variety of music at military ceremonies and civilian events throughout San Diego County and across the United States.

For nearly a century, Marine Band San Diego has thrilled countless thousands throughout the country with its inspiring renditions of patriotic music, classical literature, Big Band and Top 40 favorites, and of course, the marches of John Philip Sousa.
 
The primary mission of Marine Band San Diego is to provide musical support for military and civic ceremonies. In addition, the fifty Marines of the band perform in several different ensembles: concert band, marching band, brass quintet, woodwind quintet, jazz combo, rock band, and brass band.
 
In order to encourage music education and showcase the vibrant history and tradition of military music, the band is active in providing clinics and concerts for high school and college students throughout the western United States; serving as musical role models for developing musicians.
 
Among the band’s most popular performances are the Tournament of Roses Parade, the Holiday Bowl Parade, and annual summer and winter concerts. The band also appears regularly at various professional sporting events such as San Diego Padres and Arizona Cardinals home games. Recent appearances include performances at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Lincoln Center in New York City, The Hollywood Christmas Parade, and the Tournament of Roses Parade. For the past 3 years, Marine Band San Diego has been selected to perform during Marine Week in Phoenix, Arizona, Nashville, Tennessee, and Detroit, Michigan. Altogether, the band performs more than 350 appearances each year. 

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As a Marine musician, you'll have the opportunity to serve with one of the ten renowned Marine Corps Fleet bands throughout the world. All Marine musicians are assigned as instrumentalists / vocalists during their first enlistment. Follow-on career opportunities for leadership roles within the bands include: Directors, Enlisted Bandleaders, Ensemble Leaders (Enlisted Conductors /  Drum Majors), Production Managers, and Instrument Repair Technicians.

Instrumentalist / vocalist

Musicians perform in a Marine Corps Fleet Band for concerts, parades, ceremonies, and various other official functions in support of the Marine Corps Bands' mission. Musicians perform additional duties in support of band operations, such as supply, administrative assistant, and / or music librarian. Additional increased responsibilities relating to music performance are assigned based on grade / experience, such as instrument section leader or leader of a small ensemble.

Director

Directors serve as the officer-in-charge of Marine Corps Fleet Bands and primary conductor. Directors also manage, administer, and coordinate musical performances, develop budgets and annual operation plans, direct internal operations and training, and supervise the employment of a Marine Corps Fleet Band.

Enlisted Bandleader

Enlisted Bandleaders serve as the senior enlisted Marine of a Marine Corps Fleet Band. Enlisted Bandleaders assist and advise the Director in developing the musical proficiency of the band, planning and scheduling, and supervising the necessary administrative duties of a musical unit.

Ensemble Leader (Enlisted Conductor / Drum Major)

Ensemble Leaders direct, train and manage the musical performances of the full band, to include small ensembles. Additionally, they assist and advise the Director and Enlisted Bandleader on musical development, implementation of musical protocol for ceremonies. They lead the band in concerts, ceremonies, and / or on the march.

Production Manager

Production Managers manage the audio/visual production support for band operations to include: live sound reinforcement and recording, stage lighting, digital media production, and band marketing.

Instrument Repair Technician

Instrument Repair Technicians provide repair and maintenance of musical instruments assigned to a Marine Corps Fleet Band. Additionally, they assist in the purchasing plans of band equipment.

There are two essential elements to the audition process; you must establish your entrance qualifications as a musician and as a United States Marine. The Musician Placement Director is the Marine responsible for reviewing and certifying your musical qualification. A local Marine Corps recruiter will help you determine your Marine Corps entrance qualifications and guide your through the process of becoming a Marine.

In order to become eligible to serve as a Marine musician, musical proficiency must be established in accordance with Marine Corps Audition Standards. By following a two-round process, we establish an applicant's potential for service as a Marine musician. The first round is a screening round, wherein we learn about your musical background and establish the likelihood of you successfully meeting the requirements of the next round. Upon successful screening, you will be invited to participate in the audition round, which consists of a live audition proctored by the Musician Placement Director nearest to your geographical area. This audition round serves as the final assessment for establishing musical entrance qualifications for service as a Marine musician.
 

Screening Round

The screening round is used to establish your musical background and potential to succeed in the audition round. You will be asked to provide audio OR video recordings performing specified musical excerpts and a completed "Sign Up" form submission. 

Audio and video recording must be of a good quality and consist of all excerpts. Your local Musician Placement Director can provide specific guidance, should you have any questions.

Audition Round

Based on successful evaluation of the screening round, you may be invited to perform the audition round. The audition round consists of an in-person audition proctored by the Musician Placement Director nearest to your geographical area. During the audition round, you will perform specified excerpts and sight-read from a collection of short selections. Dates for the audition round are often published or, in some cases, individually scheduled. 

For more information regarding the audition process, including instrument-specific requirements, email: MarineMusic@marines.usmc.mil

To request an audition, visit our Audition Request Form.