JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii — Airmen from the U.S. Air Drive Band of the Pacific, together with members from the U.S. Band of the Golden West out of Travis Air Drive Base, California, met just about with members from the Philippine Air Drive (PAF) Band for a topic skilled alternate (SMEE), June 22.
U.S. Air Drive Airmen typically conduct SMEEs with different nations in an effort to construct relationships and alternate finest practices and procedures with one another. With a mission of Honor, Encourage, and Join; connections are the cornerstone for the U.S. Air Drive Band of the Pacific.
“As a cliché, music is really a common language and has been for a whole bunch and 1000’s of years,” mentioned U.S. Air Drive Maj. Jason Plosch, U.S. Air Drive Band of the Pacific director. “It is usually true in a navy setting. When in particular person, we will sit side-by-side with others that do not share a similar spoken language, however we will all learn music. It’s tip-of-the-spear in terms of really working collectively towards a standard aim.”
The primary portion of the SMEE gave every group an opportunity to transient their mission overviews, how they function and the way they’re structured.
“Occasions like this give us the prospect to showcase our abilities and abilities to the U.S. band and naturally, construct a life-long partnership and share the love for music,” mentioned Philippine Air Drive Lt. JP Bibon, PAF Band govt officer. “We’re keen to achieve extra ideas and strategies on how we will higher enhance our present talent set in enjoying musical devices and hope that that is simply the primary of the numerous collaborations that can happen as we go alongside.”
By way of occasions like this SMEE, every group was in a position to see how they’re comparable in some ways in addition to what they do otherwise.
“This can be a convention; a shared grasp class if you’ll, and we hope to be taught from one another, get to know each other and construct upon the relationships this yr so subsequent yr we will do one thing extra in-person and have the bottom work already laid out,” mentioned U.S. Air Drive Grasp Sgt. Dustin Trimble, PACAF Band operations part chief.
Greater than 75 individuals attended the SMEE with a couple of members being from the U.S. Band of the Golden West out of Travis Air Drive Base. They have been in attendance to enhance on devices the U.S. Air Drive Band of the Pacific doesn’t have such because the trombone, flute, French horn, and so on.
“Music really is a common language and has such a particular capability for bringing individuals collectively on a really human stage,” mentioned Trimble. “It enhances our lives and {our relationships} with others. It serves as a beautiful frequent floor on which numerous peoples can relate to 1 one other, opening doorways to communication and overcoming cultural, political and interpersonal boundaries.”
Whereas the PAF-U.S. bands haven’t performed collectively in recent times, the U.S. Air Drive Band of the Pacific had a small contingent of bandsmen at Clark Air Base, Philippines earlier than they have been relocated to Yokota Air Base, Japan in July 1988.
Throughout the alternate, the bands had breakout periods in an effort to have discussions about particular devices like brass, woodwinds and strings. This allowed every staff to ask questions on explicit strategies.
“Engagements like this are invigorating in some ways,” Trimble mentioned. “These final two years have introduced many challenges, however as Airmen, we hope to attach with the Airman professionals of the PAF Band by our frequent love of music and forge an enduring relationship upon which we will construct years to come back. It’s outstanding to me that our present expertise affords us the platform to speak throughout nice distances in lieu of face-to-face interplay and we’re excited for this chance to collaborate.”
The brass breakout session the SMEEs from the PAF, U.S. Air Drive Band of the Pacific and U.S. Band of the Golden West shared dialogue about their each day observe strategies, ideas and tips to respiratory, what a typical day appears to be like like and the nuances of staying in form with their explicit instrument.
“Submit-COVID, it is a nice technique to get again at constructing partnerships, evaluating how every unit organizes, trains, and equips, and hopefully glean some finest practices from one another,” Plosch mentioned. “It is usually a strong technique to proceed to construct our partnerships and friendships between our two nations within the Indo-Pacific area.”
Each nations have expressed the hopes of having the ability to work collectively sooner or later—constructing upon the relationships they’ve begun with this SMEE.
“On the facet of the PAF Band, we’re trying ahead to a possibility to work alongside the U.S. bands sharing and enjoying music collectively attempting to ease the challenges introduced by the pandemic,” Bibon mentioned. “Hoping that by music, we’ll be capable to uplift the morale and well-being of our personnel.”
