Royal Canadian Artillery Band
Encyclopedia
The Royal Canadian Artillery Band is one of only two Regular Force Army Bands
in the Canadian Forces
. Located at Canadian Forces Base Edmonton, the RCA Band provides quality music designed to support Canadian Forces operations, foster morale
and esprit de corps, and promote Canada
and the Canadian military nationally and abroad. The Band operates mainly in western Canada
. All unit members are professional musician
s in addition to being members of the military, which enables the Band to adopt a variety of configurations to suit the musical needs of their audiences. Ensemble
s can range from jazz combos, rock
bands, and chamber groups, through stage and show bands to full marching
and concert bands.
is the unit’s principal conductor
. The Commanding Officer is responsible for the creative direction of the Band and all facets of musical performance. The principal components of the Band are the brass
, woodwind and percussion sections.
Members of the Band spend most of their time engaged in training activities when not delivering formal performances. Musical training usually includes up to three hours of individual practice per day and collective practice sessions in groups ranging in size from quartet
s to full unit rehearsals.
Military band
A military band originally was a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the title of Bandmaster or Director of Music...
in the Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
. Located at Canadian Forces Base Edmonton, the RCA Band provides quality music designed to support Canadian Forces operations, foster morale
Morale
Morale, also known as esprit de corps when discussing the morale of a group, is an intangible term used to describe the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others...
and esprit de corps, and promote Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the Canadian military nationally and abroad. The Band operates mainly in western Canada
Western Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces and commonly as the West, is a region of Canada that includes the four provinces west of the province of Ontario.- Provinces :...
. All unit members are professional musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s in addition to being members of the military, which enables the Band to adopt a variety of configurations to suit the musical needs of their audiences. Ensemble
Ensemble
Ensemble may refer to:* Musical ensemble* Ensemble cast * Dance ensemble* Statistical ensemble ** Quantum statistical mechanics, the study of statistical ensembles of quantum mechanical systems...
s can range from jazz combos, rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
bands, and chamber groups, through stage and show bands to full marching
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
and concert bands.
Role
The role of the Royal Canadian Artillery Band is to provide a comprehensive, professional musical service to 1 Area Support Group, Land Force Western Area, the Canadian Forces and the Government of Canada.Organization
The Band’s Commanding OfficerCommanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
is the unit’s principal conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
. The Commanding Officer is responsible for the creative direction of the Band and all facets of musical performance. The principal components of the Band are the brass
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
, woodwind and percussion sections.
Members of the Band spend most of their time engaged in training activities when not delivering formal performances. Musical training usually includes up to three hours of individual practice per day and collective practice sessions in groups ranging in size from quartet
Quartet
In music, a quartet is a method of instrumentation , used to perform a musical composition, and consisting of four parts.-Western art music:...
s to full unit rehearsals.