MCRD/ERR PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. -- With the holiday season well under way, families gather, gifts are exchanged and bands perform.
Playing many of their concerts during the last few months of each year, the Parris Island Marine Band is working overtime during this busy season.
On top of everything they have to do on a weekly basis -- Morning Colors, drill, and graduations - the band has a whole list of performances scheduled from September through December. With such a tight schedule, this means they sometimes have to practice on their days off.
"We had to do 10 Marine Corps Birthday balls from Nov. 1 to Nov. 15," said Staff Sgt. Stephanie Errickson, the public affairs staff NCOIC for the band and also the woodwind section commander.
"The band also recently went to Pennsylvania, Orlando and Missouri to put on various performances," Errickson added.
One of the next big things they are working on is the Night On the Town concert Dec. 5 and a performance on Dec. 13, which has the Jazz Band section backing up the Liberty Bells, a singing group, in Orlando.
"The Jazz section is definitely the busiest," said Sgt. Steven Giove, small section leader and section commander for percussion.
Being the small section leader, Giove is in charge of making sure the Jazz section is prepared for their upcoming concert.
"That's the challenge here," said Giove. "With all the different band sections doing various other things, it's very hard to schedule a time to get the whole jazz section together," said Giove.
Giove said they are all part of other sections, which also need to practice for performances. If one group isn't here, it's really hard get a whole lot done.
"There are also four members of the band who play in the Beaufort Symphony out in town. So they have practicing to do with them as well," Giove said. "A lot of the times we perform when other people are off for a day. When the base had a long weekend a couple of weeks ago, we were doing a Veteran's Day parade," he said.
"Last weekend the band had balls to do and the Jazz Trio, the drums, piano and bass, were doing a performance for Toys for Tots," Giove said.
"Because we can't get together a lot, it is important that they practice on their own," added Giove.
Errickson added that after these last few busy months of the year, things usually slow down between January and March, giving the band a little break before it all starts back up again.