Overview
Thank you for your interest in the clarinet audition hosted by the United States Air Force Band of the West. This audition will be conducted in two parts: (1) an initial screening and selection by pre-recorded submissions and (2) a live audition for those selected from the initial screening. Details concerning the pre-screening submission are attached. Please look over the requirements carefully to determine if you are prepared to audition at this time. The following information outlines important dates and requirements.
22 June 2025 – Deadline for receipt of all musical pre-screening materials
24 June 2025 – Notification of pre-screening results sent by email
12 July 2025– Live audition at ClarinetFest at the Omni Hotel, Fort Worth TX
In addition to passing the clarinet audition, applicants must meet all Air Force age, weight, medical, financial, legal, and citizenship requirements. Many of your initial questions concerning the USAF enlisted military experience can be answered at https://www.airforce.com/. If you are invited to the live audition, you will be required to meet with an official Air Force recruiter to be pre-qualified for basic military training. The audition coordinator can assist with this process and provide further instructions.
Qualified applicants may be assigned to any USAF Regional Band, depending on the greatest need of the Air Force. Air Force Regional Bands are located at the following Air Force Bases: Langley, Wright-Patterson, Scott, Offutt, Lackland, Travis, Ramstein, Hickam and Yokota.
Thank you for your interest in the upcoming audition for the United States Air Force Bands. We hope you have a great experience during this process and wish you the best of luck. Please contact The Band of the West with any questions at 737-708-7188 or bandofthewestauditions@gmail.com.
Audition InformationExcerpts
About USAF Band of the West
The USAF Band of the West is a musical organization with an outstanding record of achievement. The Airmen assigned to the band are highly-trained professional musicians who have dedicated themselves to serving their country through music.
The USAF Band of the West travels more than 125,000 miles annually and provides hundreds of performances to military and civilian audiences throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Puerto Rico. The organization is made up of the large ensembles Concert Band, Ceremonial Marching Band, Dimensions in Blue, and three popular music groups, Warhawk, Top Flight, and Velocity. Small ensembles within the unit include Freedom Brass, Gateway Brass, Spectrum Winds, Nightwatch, Mission Winds, and protocol combos. This diversity enables the USAF Band of the West to perform practically any style of music from classical and country to marches and mambos.
The USAF Band of the West has performed for presidents, heads of state, and dignitaries from around the world earning an outstanding reputation among America’s military bands.
The USAF Band of the West has a long lineage in the United States Air Force. The band was created on October 1st, 1941 at Moffett Field, California and moved to Enid Army Airfield soon after. With the birth of the United States Air Force in 1947, the band moved to what eventually became Lackland Air Force Base. The band was inactivated in 1955 but reactivated in 1959. The title “Band of the West” was used for years until May 1st, 1997 when it was granted official status.
In 2011, the USAF Band of the West was awarded its sixth Colonel George S. Howard Citation of Musical Excellence for Military Concert Bands. The band received the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for the ninth time in 2012 due to its exemplary contributions to Air Force recruiting and community relations programs.
Air Force bands inspire immediate, positive, and long-lasting impressions of the United States Air Force and the United States of America in the hearts and minds of our audiences. Performing worldwide, our musicians honor, inspire and connect, reaching over six million listeners at over five thousand live and televised events each year.
