Reunion Activities and Giving Back

Annual reunions are where the bulk of AMM activity occurs. But as AMM members are scattered across the USA, with two Honorary Members located in Germany, we all have our lives to lead apart from AMM. Many AMM members volunteer throughout the year in serving their communities, inside and outside of music, and these run the gamut from participating in Bugles Across America, to being active in a local church, to assisting in VA centers, and to participating in Therapy Dogs International to name a few. There are doubtless many more examples.

AMM endeavors to give back to the community while at reunions as well. While AMM is primarily a social organization, members are always mindful of AMM’s express purpose, as stated in our Bylaws:

To promote camaraderie between past and present members of military musical organizations; to emphasize the importance of military music; to maintain liaison with Active, Reserve, and National Guard musical organizations; and to the extent possible, perpetuate and foster music within our communities.

This page attempts to summarize those efforts made at previous reunions. Please note this list is by no means complete – only some examples of what AMM has done while at an annual reunion. If you know of more examples, please contact the webmaster via email “admin (at) militarymusicians.org”, no spaces and no quotes.

• Jam sessions – for many years, members of AMM put together impromptu jam sessions during a reunion and invited attendees (members and non-members) to sit in and play. These jam sessions were live, conducted usually in the hotel’s public space, and brought a lot of enjoyment to members and the public alike.
• Rehearsals – purely for fun and to raise awareness of military music of all types, ranging from popular music to marches to swing tunes to just about anything that aging chops could play, AMM members traditionally hold a “rehearsal” during a reunion. There may or may not have been a performance, but attending members brought their horns and “raised the roof” at least a little.
• Partnership with military bands (active, guard, and reserve) in the area during a reunion – it made perfect sense to connect with local military bands, where and when possible. At the time, there were (and in some cases still are) military bands in Augusta, GA (434th Army Band); Atlanta, GA (Forces Command Band); Columbus, GA (283rd Army Band); Oklahoma City, OK (Air Force Band of the West); Branson, MO (399th Army Band); and Columbia, SC (282nd Army Band). These often led to performances with AMM members sitting in.
• Local civilian bands – For example, in 2018, AMM performed in concert with the Bob Barr Community Band.
• Master classes in local schools – two AMM members visited Branson Jr. High School’s band and discussed the feasibility of continuing with music beyond school and the enjoyment it brings. (No recruiting efforts were used – music was the common thread.)
• Outreach in state and local veteran’s homes – the Tennessee State Veteran’s Home in Humboldt was the scene of a performance by the attending AMM members at the 2022 Reunion in Jackson, TN.
• Donations in kind – AMM members have donated money from the General Fund to competing music students in and around Savannah, GA in the form of scholarships, and to local community bands by review and selection.