Music Branch (Canadian Forces)

Music Branch Branche de la musique
The Regimental Pipes and Drums of The Calgary Highlanders is one of many voluntary pipe and drum bands administered by the Music Branch of the CF.
Active	1968–Present
Country	Canada
Branch	Canadian Forces
Type	CF Personnel Branch
Part of	Directorate of History and Heritage
Headquarters	National Defence Headquarters, Ottawa
March	Canada on the March
Commanders
Musical Supervisor	Lieutenant Colonel Charles Gaudreau
Music Branch CWO	Chief Warrant Officer Heidi Twellmann
Chief of Staff	Major Eric Gagnon
Notable commanders	Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Murray Major Patrick Picard

The Music Branch is a personnel branch of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). It is primarily composed of band musicians, and also deals with the selection and musical training of its recruits. The branch encompasses all the military bands in service in the Canadian Armed Forces. It is roughly the equivalent to the Royal Corps of Army Music (CAMUS) in the British Army.^[1][2]

It is composed of:

• 15 Voluntary bands
• 6 Regular Force bands
• 53 Primary Reserve bands

The members of these bands come from all over the CF, coming from units in the Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Air Force, and Royal Canadian Navy. The branch controls all RCN and RCAF bands through the Naval Operations Branch and the Air Operations Branch respectively.^[3] The music branch as a whole is responsible for fostering morale in the CF and providing musical support for all aspects of military life and for official military ceremonies, including guards of honour for dignitaries.^[4]

Directorate of History and Heritage[]

The Directorate of History and Heritage is a sub-department of the Department of National Defence that is responsible to the Chief of Military Personnel (CMP) for providing personnel and technical advice regarding the Music Branch.^[5] It was founded on 1 September 1996 by merging the Canadian Forces Music Centre and the Directorate of Military Traditions and Heritage.^[6] On 1 April of the following year, the Music Centre was made part of the Directorate. The directorate has 7 sections, with the musical section making up DHH 7.^[7]

Its specific roles include:

• Developing and managing Music Branch policy
• Evaluating musician qualification level
• Provide advice and guidance on human resources including recommending the relocation of personnel and the recruitment for the Music Branch
• Recommending the authorization of official music, marches and calls

The DHH Music Staff is the official leadership of the DHH and the Music Branch that formulates Music Branch policy and carries out its roles. The order of precedence is as follows:

• Supervisor of Music
• Music Branch Chief Warrant Officer
• Music Branch Chief of Staff
• CF Music Branch Standards Advisor
• Pipes and Drums Advisor and Standards Master Warrant Officer
• Brass and Reed Standards Master Warrant Officer
• Music Branch Auditions Coordinator

Military Tattoos[]

The Music Branch handles all CF Military Tattoos around the country, including the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo, the Fortissimo Sunset Ceremony and the . The first tattoo to be managed by the branch was the Canadian Armed Forces Tattoo in 1967, which was the world's largest travelling show.

Traditions[]

March[]

The branch traditionally had no military marchpasts by virtue of military customs.^[8] Recently, it adopted Canada on the March by Lieutenant Colonel C. H. Jaeger as its march past.

Music Division[]

The Canadian Forces Logistics Training Centre Music Division is the training institution of the Music Branch that offers a curriculum of instruction to potential musicians in the CF.^[9] Part of the Royal Canadian Logistics Service, it is the de facto successor to the Canadian Forces School of Music. It is located in Building E-51 at CFB Borden. It consists of a concert hall, 47 practice studios, 10 teaching studios, a library, and four classrooms.^[10]

Supervisors of Music[]

• Clifford Hunt (1964-1968)
• Charles Villeneuve (1980-1984)
• Commander George Morrison (1984-1990)^[11]
• Lieutenant Colonel Gaétan Bouchard
• Lieutenant Colonel W. Scott Attridge^[12]
• Lieutenant Colonel Peter Chan (2017-2020)
• Lieutenant Colonel Charles Gaudreau (2020-Present)

See also[]

• Canadian military bands
• Personnel branch
• Authorized marches of the Canadian Armed Forces
• Navy bands in Canada
• List of Royal Canadian Air Force Bands

Order of precedence[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Military bands of Canada.

• Canadian Forces Recruiting
• Canadian Forces and Department of National Defence

References[]

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