It started in 1775 when a few good men answered the call of their country and the United States Marine Corps was founded. Since then, our tradition has grown and developed. Each successive generation of Marines inherits the tradition and pride the Corps has won through sacrifice, honor, and duty to Corps and country. The Parris Island Marine Band reflects those qualities which are truly and uniquely “Marine” and has earned the reputation as being one of the premier musical units in the United States military.
On October 28, 1915, the Department of the Navy officially transferred Marine Corps recruit training from Norfolk, VA to Parris Island, SC. Among the first 750 Marines sent to Parris Island was the Depot’s first bandmaster, Sergeant William Gauer, and Sergeant Anton Schnichowski, the Depot’s first drum major, who with a group of Marine musicians, formed the Parris Island Marine Band. Until this time, musicians had been trained by individual bands, so a field music school was established at Parris Island to train buglers who were still being used for calls and signals. Musicians also doubled as marksmanship instructors, close combat instructors, and also provided support for various units on the Depot.
In addition to the constant state of musical readiness for which Marine bands are known, the members never lose sight of the fact that they are, first and foremost, Marines. To live up to this responsibility, the band participates in all required Marine Corps training consisting of Marine field exercises, taking physical fitness and combat readiness tests, combat water survival and qualifies annually with the service rifle. This is to ensure Marine musicians remain prepared to perform their primary mission as basic Marine riflemen.

“The band was an efficient musical unit,” said Captain Charles Pearson, Parris Island Marine Band Officer from 1964-1967, and 1969-1972. “(The band) is a representation of a spirit, a feeling difficult to define. There is something about a stirring march that often reaches a person’s soul, to the very center of his being. It might be called patriotism, courage, or almost anything,” Pearson continued. “But it’s essentially the spirit that makes people yearn to excel and to do for others. The Parris Island Marine Band is truly a living symbol of ‘Esprit de Corps’.”

Today, the Parris Island Marine Band, with fifty enlisted instrumentalists and one band officer, performs hundreds of commitments each year in every idiom imaginable. The different groups within the band consist of a concert band, marching/ceremonial band, stage band, brass quintet, and a jazz combo. The Parris Island Marine Band’s primary mission is to provide musical support for the Recruit Training Regiment as well as events in the Beaufort area. In addition to playing at more than 40 recruit graduations each year, the band also performs numerous concerts and parades all across the United States, to include performances in Minnesota, Kentucky, Florida, New York, Georgia, Massachusetts, and South Carolina.

The culmination of military pride and efficiency along with precise musical expertise has set the United States Marine Field Bands apart from any other military unit. The Parris Island Marine Band is dedicated to upholding and displaying the very same high standards and traditions established by the United States Marine Corps.