Posted by Alan Herold on October 21, 2003 at 21:26:21:
In Reply to: Military Audition Help posted by Josh K on October 16, 2003 at 08:59:27:
All the advice so far is good. Speed matters on the scales. Practice them so all 48 can rip... and at least two octaves.
I'm going to lay it down now. The Army is the way to go. I've met too many Air Force guys that hated it to reccomend the Air Force. The Marines, well, if you want to be a Marine, then go for it. They have a lot of pride, and Marines kick ass. They aren't the place to be if you want to play. The Navy has a big emphasis on jazz. The Army has THE best education benefits of all the services. DO NOT go into a reserve band. A National Guard Band has all the benefits that a reserve band does, plus some state benefits as well.
If you want to risk the college loan angle, then go for it. It is a good way to go. THE ONLY LOANS THAT THE ARMY WILL PAY BACK ARE NEED BASED LOANS. I repeat, THE ONLY LOANS THAT THE ARMY WILL PAY BACK ARE NEED BASED LOANS. Also, they don't cover the interest... and you get taxed on the money that they pay, so you'll be responsible for about 20% to 25% of the loan. The advice for taking out the loans just to take them out and invest them is bad advice. Period. Never borrow money to invest. Damn. That's economics 101. The risky part of taking loans to pay for school and counting on the Army to pay them back is that you may get hurt, you may not pass the physical, you may decide not to play anymore etc. etc. etc.
If you stay focused on your long term goals and realize that the job may be great and it may suck (most likely it will fall in between), then it can be a great tool for you. I recommend going in for 4 years and making a commitment to yourself to get out and go to school after that. Not only will they pay for your school, but there's a damn good chance that you can get back in later if you want to get that retirement.
Do the audition soon no matter what. Get that experience. It is free! You can go as far as signing up and swearing in. Your last chance to pull out is right before you board the plane or bus to go to basic training.
For more info, e-mail me.