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    Mississippi Soldier scores first National Guard vocalist certification

    Mississippi Soldier scores first National Guard vocalist certification

    Photo By Sgt. Scott Tynes | Spc. Josh Walker and Sgt. 1st Class Terry Miller, team leader and jazz band director,...... read more read more

    MERIDIAN, MS, UNITED STATES

    07.09.2016

    Story by Staff Sgt. Scott Tynes 

    102d Public Affairs Detachment

    MERIDIAN, Miss. – A recent addition to the Mississippi Army National Guard brings a new note to the repertoire of the 41st Army Band.
    Spc. Josh Walker, a tuba player, is the first National Guard Soldier to earn the “vocalist” skill identifier from the U.S. Army School of Music in Virginia Beach, Va.
    “I was going to be a combat medic,” he said, “but the recruiter learned I played a musical instrument and suggested I join the band. I originally came for tuba and when I sang (at the school) they put me in as a vocalist.“
    The vocalist military occupational specialty is relatively new. Staff Sgt. Renatta Draper of the 1st Calvary Division Band, Fort Hood, was the first vocalist in the U.S. Army. She received the designation in 2008.
    “He is not the first vocalist we’ve had in the band, but he is the first to be certified,” said Sgt. 1st Class Avery Leggett, 41st Army Band readiness non-commissioned officer.
    Walker is certified as both a tuba player and vocalist.
    Army musicians specialize in one, or more, instruments or specialties, including tuba, trombone, euphonium, bassoon, electric bass guitar, saxophone, flute or piccolo, oboe, clarinet, French horn, percussion, cornet or trumpet, guitar, keyboard, music production, or, most recently, vocalist, according the U.S. Army School of Music.
    Musicians perform in a variety of ensembles ranging from a large ceremonial band to smaller ensembles playing all styles of music.
    Walker, a Pascagoula native, enlisted in the National Guard in 2015 and was able to perform with them briefly while a member of the Recruit Sustainment Program prior to attending basic training.
    “He had the skill set already,” Leggett said. “He’s a very outgoing Soldier, a fast learner, and a great adaptor. He has high aspirations of being a great leader one day and I think he can be.”
    Walker said he learned a lot about singing and entertaining at the three-month school.
    “I’ve been singing since I was five or six,” he said, “but I would close my eyes and would just stand and sing. Knowing how to move around and engage the audience has made me much better.”
    The school also made him a more complete singer, Walker said, because he learned to sing in many styles rather than the few he was comfortable with.
    “There’s a lot you can do after high school for a music career, but the Army is one of the best. I’ll always have this to satisfy my musical needs. Music is a risky career,” he said.
    Walker intends to become a student at Jefferson Davis Community College in the fall to pursue a medical degree.
    “I never thought it would be this awesome,” he said. “This is the best job in the military, I promise.”
    The 41st Army Band has been providing musical support and entertainment to the citizens and Soldiers of Mississippi for more than 50 years. The unit, headquartered in Jackson, is comprised of approximately 40 soldiers from six states and various civilian backgrounds.
    For booking information, visit www.41starmyband.com.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 07.09.2016
    Date Posted: 07.13.2016 07:11
    Story ID: 203659
    Location: MERIDIAN, MS, US
    Hometown: JACKSON, MS, US
    Hometown: MERIDIAN, MS, US
    Hometown: PASCAGOULA, MS, US

    Web Views: 20
    Downloads: 1

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