The U.S. Marine Band canceled an upcoming concert with high school musicians of color, citing a Trump executive order.

[Celerity]

The canceled collaboration with Equity Arc was to feature high school musicians of color who competed for spots to perform with the U.S. Marine Band.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/2025/02/26/presidents-own-marine-band-cancels-concert/

https://archive.ph/7JOYS



There is perhaps no band closer to the president’s ear than the U.S. Marine Band, long known as “The President’s Own.” Founded in 1798 by an Act of Congress, it’s the nation’s oldest continuously active professional musical organization, with a stated, singular mission to “perform music for the President of the United States and the Commandant of the Marine Corps.”

The band’s repertoire, therefore, is subject to the president’s tastes, whims and, in the case of a May 4 concert that recently vanished from the schedule, executive orders. Last week, “The President’s Own” quietly canceled a concert program originally billed as the “Equity Arc Wind Symphony.”

The performance was to be the culmination of a “multi-day music intensive with musicians from ‘The President’s Own’” and high school musician fellows selected through auditions organized by the Chicago-based Equity Arc, a nonprofit organization that provides “specialized mentoring support for young BIPOC musicians and helps institutions take meaningful steps toward equity and inclusion.”

A spokesperson for the Marines confirmed in an email Tuesday afternoon that “the Marine Band’s participation in this event was canceled in accordance with recent Executive Orders.”

snip

[enough]

1. If anyone was wondering, this is loud and clear.

[lame54]

2. They competed. They won on their merit

[Ocelot II]

3. It keeps getting worse. These high school students, no doubt very talented

since they had to audition for this gig, had a great opportunity to learn and further their musical careers taken away because they are POC. But that's OK, apparently. I wonder if the band includes any Black or female musicians, and if so, will they be kicked out? It's "the president's band," and if Comrade Krasnov can choose the repertoire, can he also choose who performs it?

[Bread and Circuses]

9. Of course

They will start getting rid of POC and women from any visible or prominent position.

Perhaps they’ll send them out back ……


I am so ashamed.

[Initech]

4. We are being run by the stupidest and most criminally insane group of people alive.

[CrispyQ]

12. You forgot mean. - nt

[orangecrush]

15. Yep.

[LakeVermilion]

5. Returning to "separate, but equal,"

wink, wink.

Sarcasm

[msongs]

6. government bands? there's some easy to cut expenditures nt

[Celerity]

10. the U.S. Marine Band was founded in 1798 by an Act of Congress, John Philip Sousa was its leader from 1880 to 1892

[Music Man]

23. Please tell me you're being sarcastic.

Military bands are truly outstanding, important ensembles. They do so much for civic events, ceremonies, ambassadorship, and education.

Again, you're possibly being sarcastic, so forgive me if I'm mistaken. If not, however, it reminds me of the vapidness of when people say, "Band probably needs to be cut from the school schedule so we can focus on reading and math."

Music is not a luxury, and yes, sometimes artistic ventures are funded by the government. Suggesting that this is the sort of easily cuttable expenditure plays into Elon Musk's hands whether you realize it or not.

[Bread and Circuses]

7. Bastards!

Do they know how many young people of color join the USMC? A lot!

And they go on to serve our nation with great patriotism.

[viva la]

8. At my son's graduation from basic training--

there was a GREAT jazz band playing the military standards in Dixieland style. It was so wonderful, especially given the great diversity in the ceremony-- the black master sergeant commander, the Taiwanese soldiers, the Asian-American soldiers.

There are few organizations as diverse as the US Military. But that's exactly why President Musk and Loser-in-Chief Trump hate it.

[LoisB]

11. I went through the members. Not exactly a hot bed of diversity if you're looking for Black

folks.

[3catwoman3]

16. GMTA - I did the same thing. Most of the few black faces I saw were support...

...personnel, not musicians.

My post is right below yours.

[LoisB]

22. Yes. I admit I was surprised but not pleasantly. This is not something I had ever thought

about until this post.

[3catwoman3]

13. The membership of the Marine Band is strikingly non-diverse...

...compared to the Marine Corps on general. I just looked thru all 10 pages of their members, and very few POC. For anyone interested, here is the ink:

https://www.marineband.marines.mil/About/Members/

This action is really disgusting.

[Ocelot II]

14. Yup. More women than I expected and a fair number of Asians,

but I noted only two Black musicians: a tuba player and a double bass player. Lots and lots of white men.

[Pinback]

17. Paging "Blacks for Trump." How y'all feelin'?

What a pathetic and petty order. I feel so bad for these kids. But they’ve learned a valuable lesson, at least about the goons currently in charge.

I hope they all get revenge by living well and continuing to develop as musicians in whatever context they choose.

[Mr. Evil]

18. What a fucking disgrace!

[AdamGG]

19. If the concert was instead with South African white supremacist emigres

It would still be scheduled and Trump would probably attend.

[BidenRocks]

20. The band

was only following orders.
So it starts.

[SouthBayDem]

21. Congrats on recruiting more voters to our side!

What an own goal, Donald. Throwing away a great goodwill opportunity.