U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific Band

The U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific (MARFORPAC) Band is a professional musical organization that provides world-class musical support through a myriad of ensembles to include the Ceremonial / Marching Band, Wind Ensemble, Brass and Woodwind Quintets, New Orleans Style Brass Band, Popular Music Group, and Jazz Ensemble. The MARFORPAC Band is a vital contributor to morale and esprit de corps and provides the Commander, MARFORPAC (COMMARFORPAC) a fundamental link to ceremonial traditions while inspiring, motivating, and instilling in the audience a sense of patriotism and reaffirming the Marine Corps values, customs, and traditions. In support of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), the MARFORPAC Band functions as a soft power strategic asset able to further national interests via strategic messaging.

The MARFORPAC Band is a modular and deployable element of U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific and a tenant activity at Marine Corps Base, Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay. It is under the direct operational control of the COMMARFORPAC via the Chief of Staff and is administratively supported by Headquarters and Service Battalion, Camp H. M. Smith, Hawaii.

The U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific (MarForPac) Band was organized in the early 1900's with about a dozen members.  The historical records, dating from as early as 1918, show the band playing for Marines at the Marine Barracks at Naval Station Pearl Harbor.  The early activities of the band centered around the Marine Barracks, ranging from concerts in front of Puller Hall to morale performances at sporting events.  In 1940, the band would assume its secondary duty as a machine gun platoon under the direction of Master Technical Sergeant (closest modern rank equivalent to a Master Sergeant) Eric Isaacson.  Beginning in the 1980's, the band lived and worked in building #278 aboard Pearl Harbor.  This building is significant, because the first fire returned during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, came from the roof of this building.  While it is unconfirmed whether it was a musician firing those rounds, it has been recorded that two Marine Musicians, Privates First Class William Memmel (a tenor sax player) and Robert Coleman (a bass player), were credited with shooting down a Japanese plane with their machine gun during the attack.  In 1993, the band moved to its current home at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay.

Today, under the direction of Chief Warrant Officer 2 Aaron K. Carpenter, the band is comprised of 39 Marines.  All Marines in the band are both fully trained riflemen and professional musicians.  Our mission is to provide musical support for ceremonies, functions, and other occasions aboard military installations and throughout the civilian community.  We accomplish this through the employment of several musical ensembles, including a marching band, wind ensemble, and various popular music groups and chamber ensembles.  Over the past 120 years, Marines of the MarForPac Band performed all over the islands of Hawai'i and traveled around the Pacific to various locations including Tonga, Fiji, China, Australia, New Zealand, Saipan, Guadalcanal, Iwo To (formerly Iwo Jima), and American Samoa.  By design, we strive to inspire, improve morale, and instill in audiences a sense of pride and patriotism in our nation.  We represent the core values, customs, and traditions of the United States Marine Corps.

Location: Marine Corps Base Hawaii (Base access required)

Time: 10:00 a.m.

Ensemble: Ceremonial Band

Location:
Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex, University of Hawaii
1105 Lower Campus Road, Honolulu, HI 96822

Time: 6:00 p.m.

Ensemble: Ceremonial Band

For more information, click here.

Location:
Marine Corps Base Hawaii Chapel
2702 Cushman Ave, Kailua, HI 96734

Time: 6:00 p.m.

Ensemble: Wind Ensemble

Location:
Kilo Pier Pearl Harbor

Time: 9:30 a.m.

Ensemble: Ceremonial Band
 

Location:
Ala Moana Centerstage
1450 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu, HI 96814

Time: 7:00 p.m.

Ensemble: Wind Ensemble

Location:
Marine Corps Base Hawaii Chapel
2702 Cushman Ave., Kailua, HI 96734

Time: 6:00 p.m.

Ensemble: Wind Ensemble

Seating Capacity: 1,000 (venues with a seating capacity of less than 1,000 will be considered on a case-by-case basis)

Stage Size: 45 feet wide by 35 feet deep (This excludes space for the wings, an acoustic shell, curtains, backdrops, or downstage area in front of the band). Portable stages should not exceed 18 inches in elevation.

Floor Size: 50 feet by 50 feet. (Gymnasium set up, for example).

Storage Area: 2,500 square feet of accessible backstage space is recommended for the band’s equipment. This space must be in a secure, convenient location during the performance. Equipment cannot be stored outside the facility.

Stage Equipment: The Marine Corps Forces Pacific Band provides its own stage risers, chairs, music stands, and conductor’s podium. If available on-site, the band prefers to perform with an acoustic shell.

Dressing Rooms: The Marine Corps Forces Pacific Band requests two main dressing rooms for approximately 30 men and 10 women.
Dressing rooms must be located in the same facility as the concert venue and have access to restrooms separate from the audience. For schools, classrooms are okay to use as dressing rooms, as long as they can be secured the entire time the band is onsite. Windows must be covered for privacy.

Parking: The sponsor must provide parking as close as possible to the loading dock/area for a 26-foot-long box truck, one charter bus, and one 15 passenger van.

Security: Questions regarding security can be directed to the Marine Corps Forces Pacific Band Drum Major Gunnery Sgt. Jason Homard at MARFORPAC.Band@usmc.mil

Misc.: The stage should not have any signs or banners.

Media Coverage: Media are often interested in sharing Marine Corps Forces Pacific Band concerts as a news item. TV stations may be willing to run the promotional video a week or two before the event. Radio may want to interview the Marine Corps Forces Pacific Band's director on air. A newspaper may post the press release and a photo on their website and social media. Contacting media is often as simple as emailing the news tip line or editor with the provided press release as the body of the email. Any requests for interviews should be directed to MARFORPAC.Band@usmc.mil

Lighting: Overhead lighting should be white (no gels), bright enough to read newsprint without difficulty and should not hinder musicians’ ability to see the director. Downstage lighting must be adequate, as should any lighting for stage extensions. Please do not use spotlights. The site should provide a technician to operate the house lighting panel. Decorative background lighting is permissible, but not required. If available, red and blue lights are typically best suited for Marine Corps Forces Pacific Band performances.

Audio Equipment: The Marine Corps Forces Pacific Band provides its own audio equipment, including microphones, cables, mixer, and processing and graphic EQ, and can also provide a speaker system suitable for small and medium venues. However, when available, using the venue’s installed speaker system is preferred. Additional specifications are outlined below for venues with dedicated audio systems:
• When the installed house system is used, the Marine Band recording engineer will provide a mono, line-level signal to the house mixer that should be routed through the house system at nominal level without EQ or compression.
• Sends for left, center, right, and fills can be provided as needed. These sends can come from the mix position or back stage right.
• A stage box, which includes preamps and wireless microphones, will be placed back stage right. This stage box requires a single, dedicated 20-amp outlet with isolated ground (sound power).
• The stage box will be connected to the mixer via a cat6 snake that must be run from the stage box to the mixer at the mix position.
• The mix position should be in-house, reachable with a 150 ft snake, and not located under a balcony/overhang. The mix position cannot be behind a window (removable or not).

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.