MCRD PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. -- The Parris Island Marine Band travels thousands of miles each year as representatives of the Marine Corps in an effort to help with the recruiting drive.
Saturday, the band departed the Depot and travelled south across the 6th Marine Corps District on a recruiting tour.
On one stop along the tour, the band visited Daytona Beach, Fla., to perform at the Daytona Beach Bandshell.
The band set up for the concert Saturday morning, kicking it off at 1 p.m. For three hours, they played for the hundreds gathered underneath the clear blue Florida skies.
“Everyone likes the Marine Corps Band,” said Dan Lowen, a spectator from Daytona. “They definitely stand apart from the rest. Plus, in my opinion, they blow away the other bands that perform here.”
It was a common opinion among` the visitors. People along the beach cheered the band on between songs, danced during the upbeat numbers and even tried to sing along with a few.
“I would say performing here was a huge success,” said Sgt. Joseph M. Harris, a trombone player for the Parris Island Marine Band. “Daytona is a huge hot spot in Florida.”
Performing on the beach catches the attention of many, he added.
“The band is so much more than a group of individuals playing instruments,” said Stanley D. Shore, a former Marine, who lives in Daytona. “They not only do their job, and do it well, but they also present themselves very professionally.”
The Parris Island Marine Band is an attention grabber itself, Shore said. They are doing an excellent job of spreading the Marine Corps message, he added.
Their dedication to that message is what makes the band work. They spend countless hours every week to make sure that when it’s crunch time, the band is ready to perform. That practice pays off in more exposure for the band, and through the music they play for the Marine Corps itself.
“The more successful we are on these recruiting tours, the more we get to do,” Harris said. “We have been getting rescheduled more and more each year.
For more information on the Parris Island Marine Band or where they are performing next, visit www.mcrdpi.usmc.mil/band.