Navy Musicians Association
Encyclopedia
The Navy Musicians Association (NMA) is a non-profit veterans organization of past and present United States Navy musicians
. The NMA was founded in 1995 and has become a 501 (c) (19) tax exempt veteran's organization under the U.S. Tax Code.
area of Virginia who had served at the United States Armed Forces School of Music and in the United States Atlantic Fleet
band. The organization has grown to accept former and present members of all official U.S. Navy bands.
s, big bands and jazz combos that rehearse daily and perform at concerts, dances and jam session
s. A reunion highlight, when location and scheduling permit, is a concert of patriotic music by an active-duty Navy band.
Reunions are held in Virginia Beach, Virginia
in odd-number years, and at various other locations in even-numbered years. Recent locations have included:
. Leger Lines is published quarterly and sent to all members.
Musician (US Navy)
Musician is a United States Navy occupational rating.Musicians perform on one or more designated instruments to provide musical services onboard ships and at Armed Forces bases to inspire patriotism, elevate esprit de corps, enhance retention, and foster pride in the Naval service; provide...
. The NMA was founded in 1995 and has become a 501 (c) (19) tax exempt veteran's organization under the U.S. Tax Code.
Mission
The purpose of the Navy Musicians Association is "to bring together, through annual reunions, past and present members of Navy bands; to promote camaraderie; to emphasize the importance of music in the Navy; and to maintain liaison with active bands in the Navy and Marine Corps, in order to preserve the tradition of Navy music."Membership Eligibility
All past and present members of official United States Navy bands are eligible for membership in the Navy Musicians Association. A special Life Membership is available to members aged 75 years or older.History
The NMA was founded in 1995 by a group of retired Navy musicians residing in the Hampton RoadsHampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
area of Virginia who had served at the United States Armed Forces School of Music and in the United States Atlantic Fleet
United States Fleet Forces Command
The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...
band. The organization has grown to accept former and present members of all official U.S. Navy bands.
Reunions
The annual reunion of the Navy Musicians Association is held in June of each year. During the four-day affair, members form concert bandConcert band
A concert band, also called wind band, symphonic band, symphonic winds, wind orchestra, wind symphony, wind ensemble, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of several members of the woodwind instrument family, brass instrument family, and percussion instrument family.A...
s, big bands and jazz combos that rehearse daily and perform at concerts, dances and jam session
Jam session
Jam sessions are often used by musicians to develop new material, find suitable arrangements, or simply as a social gathering and communal practice session. Jam sessions may be based upon existing songs or forms, may be loosely based on an agreed chord progression or chart suggested by one...
s. A reunion highlight, when location and scheduling permit, is a concert of patriotic music by an active-duty Navy band.
Reunions are held in Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay...
in odd-number years, and at various other locations in even-numbered years. Recent locations have included:
- 2004 -- Orlando, FloridaOrlando, FloridaOrlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
- 2006 -- Louisville, KentuckyLouisville, KentuckyLouisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
- 2008 -- Memphis, TennesseeMemphis, TennesseeMemphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
- 2010 -- San Antonio, TexasSan Antonio, TexasSan Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
Leger Lines
The Navy Musicians Association's quarterly newsletter is Leger Lines, whose title is borrowed from that of the former newsletter of the U.S. Navy Music ProgramNavy Music Program
As part of Navy Personnel Command's Enlisted Assignment Division , the Navy Music Program Management Office is located aboard Naval Support Activity Mid-South in Millington, Tennessee. PERS-4014 centrally manages the Navy's 11 Fleet bands, one support unit, and two premier bands...
. Leger Lines is published quarterly and sent to all members.