In an August article in the Washington-Post, writer Walter Pincus discusses the large number of military bands throughout America and overseas. He suggests the military should cut back funding for "music performance teams" or MPT's.
It seems as though Pincus does not know the true value of music and how it can effect the human spirit.
Kimberly Moore knows the value of music. She knows how important creating and listening to music can be to people who, day in and day out, put their lives on the line. In her article for Psychology Today, Moore argues about the importance of music in the military, its history, and how it has affected the troops from the past to the present.
Pincus was drafted into the Army in 1955 and worked for the Counterintelligence corps in Washington D.C. for five years before he was discharged. Although he was drafted, Pincus never fought overseas, and while he makes a great argument in his article about the large number of bands there are in the Army, Pincus can never really understand what music means to the troops. Music is a way to escape the constant shooting, the deafening bombs, and the years separated from loved ones. Pincus has never truly expierenced that hardship.
My Grandfather was in the military for five years. He fought in World War Two and was stationed in the South Pacific. While my Grandpa wasn't in a military band, he did however play the bagpipes, and use them as an escape from the bloodshed he saw everyday in the Pacific. He told me stories about him and other soldiers of Irish background getting together, playing the bagpipes, and sharing stories. He learned tons of songs overseas which he used to play for me when I was a child.
Funding for music and music programs is getting cut all the time, and to deprive our military of the release that music can bring them from the horror they see everyday would be a travesty.
Great post Lance. I never actually took the time to think about music within the ranks of our military. I know how much music soothes the soul. Who better to need it than the people who deal with the possibility of dying day in and day out. I feel the Kimberly Moore article touched on the subject perfectly. Yeah, she may not have had statistics regarding money spent or the people who play in the Army bands, but she can recall the importance of the music from past experiences being that of the death of her grandfather. Music boosts morale. With that said, I think I'll take the time to listen to a song right now myself.
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