Reserve Musicians

[cameron_highlander]

I thought I'd ask this just out of curiosity. I'm an 871 Bagpiper just finishing up his BMQ. Due to circumstances beyond my control (scheduling conflicts) I most likely won't be doing my SQ (seeing as I don't have to) until a later date, probably not until after my QL3.

Anyways, I was just curious...to any musicians that may be on this site, what's your day-to-day (reserve-wise) routine with your units? Does your CO like the band and incorporate and use you as much as possible, or does he/she say bugger off and die in a corner? What kind of courses other then music-related ones do you get on, what else do you do through your unit other then musical activities?

I just thought I'd throw this out to get some ideas of what I'm looking at for the next couple of years (if RMC won't take me), and maybye even to get some discussion pertaining to our line of work going on this site.

 

[Chang]

i heard some people in the OR talking about how the 15th RCA band here in the 39CBG is being neglicted by everyone

 

[combat_medic]

If you're a musician by trade, the chances of you getting an non trade-related course are nominal at best. Assuming you're in an infantry unit (since you're a piper), the CO is concerned with training Infantrymen, and therefore every Infanteer in your unit will get first crack at every Infantry course. Something like a driver course you might be able to get a position, but getting an Infantry-only course would be virtually impossible. In my unit, we occasionally get people from the band who will come on a excercise, and they're employed up to their abilities. If all you have is BMQ, expect to get treated like a recruit if you go out.

 

[Michael Dorosh]

If you're a musician by trade, the chances of you getting an non trade-related course are nominal at best. Assuming you're in an infantry unit (since you're a piper), the CO is concerned with training Infantrymen, and therefore every Infanteer in your unit will get first crack at every Infantry course. Something like a driver course you might be able to get a position, but getting an Infantry-only course would be virtually impossible. In my unit, we occasionally get people from the band who will come on a excercise, and they're employed up to their abilities. If all you have is BMQ, expect to get treated like a recruit if you go out.

This is a pretty broad generalization and will change according to unit, time, circumstance, CO, Trg WO, etc.  We had a piper in our regiment not only took his infantry course but passed out as top candidate - this was several years ago, however.  I believe the pipers in the Hamilton Argylls are all infantrymen by trade, but am open to correction - certainly they were encouraged to do so in past years.  Best bet is to talk to the training WO in your unit.

 

[combat_medic]

Don't get me wrong Michael, a few years back, I knew many people who were able to take cross-trade training. I knew a tanker who did a QL3 Med A, a musician who got the old CLC course, and a reserve weapons tech who scored a position on basic para. However, in recent years, such cross training has been virtually non-existant. I sincerely hope they change the rules and let people do some cross-trade training, but as it is currently, I don't know anyone who's managed it.

 

[Pipes]

I tend to agree with Michael; things change all the time and depend on all sorts of variables.
Admittedly, if it's a choice between you and an infanteer taking the only slot in an infantry course, you're likely to be bumped. In the last few years courses have been sparse and demand high due to lack of staff (heavy overseas rotations) and increased recruiting. When and if that all balances out, your warm body is better than no warm body in any available slot.
In my experience, it really depends on you. If you're persistent enough and keen enough and patient enough and don't piss off too many people, you can do just about anything within reason. 
All that said, it is extremely difficult to be both a well trained infanteer and a proficient piper within a band. Ultimately you have to choose between one or the other, because eventually they are going to conflict. When I'm practicing with the band upstairs, I am missing the regular infantry training down on the floor. If a field exercise coincides with some 'all hands required' band gig, I'd better show up for the band or start re-evaluating my commitment to my chosen trade.

Recognize that you're in a 'support' trade, and do what you can. I've known some Company Commanders who want nothing better than a piper in the field with them, whatever the qualification, and others who didn't have a clue what to do us when we showed up and would rather we didn't. When I've been in the field, I've done radio watch, sentry duty, ammo point duty, signals, CQ, assistant RSO and coach, and all around general dog's body. I've piped for section attacks, range rundowns, and route marches, as well as the usual reveille and lights out. The only thing I've had any real training in is the piping, the others I've picked up on the way.

As a Piper and   musician, your role is to be the public face of the Regiment and the CF, the guardian of regimental traditions and heritage, and, from the manual, to "foster high morale, esprit de corps and thus operational effectiveness" amongst the troops. Everything you do should fit into that statement, somehow.

Enough said, </rant>