Bill would encourage students to play bugle at military funerals

wchstv.com ^

[chance33_98]

Bill would encourage students to play bugle at military funerals

February 08, 2004 3:20 PM Charleston

A state lawmaker wants to help make sure that more veterans have proper military funerals in the future -- with buglers playing the traditional Military Funeral Honors music, rather than a recording.

Delegate Larry Williams -- a Preston County Democrat -- is sponsoring a bill to encourage high schools to allow students to play taps at military funerals. The bill would also give buglers a 25 dollar educational voucher every time they play, paid for by the funeral director.

Volunteer buglers -- who sometimes play the less difficult trumpet -- are in short supply. And now the music of taps is often played by a recording as a substitute.

High school students have been a good source of buglers, but school administrators are increasingly reluctant to allow students to miss classes.

The bugler shortage has become so severe that veterans' groups are selling an electronic bugle that needs someone to simply adjust the volume, turn it on and pretend to blow.

While Williams' bill is mostly a symbolic gesture, he hopes it will help.

[steplock]

A total waste of time / money and NOT part of the constitutional powers.

What is next? Forcing Music students to play the FRENCH anthem? How about the Chinese?

My gripe is that this is a waste of taxpayer dollars = taxpayers are paying for these idiots salaries. It does NOTHING.

btw I am a combat vet.

[eastsider]

Based on my experience as an Army bandsman, the first place to check for a military bugler is with the nearest Army post with a band. Check with the Armed Forces School of Music for the nearest Army post, as well as the nearest Navy & Marine bases for Navy/Marine buglers.

[jz638]

A total waste of time / money and NOT part of the constitutional powers

Good intentions, but not government's job. This would be a great program for the VFW or the American Legion to organize, unless they already do, then its a great program that needs more publicity.

[GovernmentShrinker]

Sounds like a job that high school ROTC units should be able to help with.

[Gerasimov]

I agree, on the same grounds you posted and more:

I was once a high school trumpet player. High school trumpet players are notoriously awful with the only thing more squeaky and prone to crack than the trumpet being the high school boy's voice! When I buy the farm ... give me a real bugle player, a good CD, but not a squeaky high school kid!

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

buglesacrossamerica.org is the outfit organizing volunteer buglers.

[gdani]

The bill would also give buglers a 25 dollar educational voucher every time they play, paid for by the funeral director.

If his idea is so good, why is he picking the funeral directors' pockets?

Talk about an unfunded mandate........

[eastsider]

The Boy Scouts are another possible source of buglers. Playing for a military funeral could be part of the Music merit badge.

[jpl]

A total waste of time / money and NOT part of the constitutional powers.

This is a state lawmaker making a state proposal, not a federal lawmaker.

[eastsider]

Many thanks for the Bugles Across America URL!

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

http://buglesacrossamerica.org/welcome.php

"What is bugles across america? click above

[RonF]

This is true. I have tried to encourage this within my own Troop, but the kids are notably reluctant to play their horns outside the setting of a school concert.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Anyone know anything about bugles? I'm interested in doing this but don't know a thing about bugles. I played the baritone horn and the trombone so I can play a horn, but I need more advice on bugles before I go shopping.

[taxed2death]

well, I'm pretty freakin' cheap with my money....but I'd sure as heck rather see GWB pledge money towards this instead if 15 billion freakin' dollars for AIDS in Africa. It sucked when I saw the military guard drag out a cheesy record player and plop the needle down on a scratched record at my grandfathers funeral. He was a WW1 Vet, and had the shrapnel wounds all over his back to prove it.

We should bury all Vets with dignity....it's the least we can do.

[eastsider]

I would think that the good folks at Bugles Across America could steer you in the right direction : )

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Wow, thanks./sarcasm I emailed them and I'm waiting for a response. I thought someone on this thread may have experience with this so I cast the net out and will monitor this thread for what that net drags in. So far it's all a bunch of krill. /grin

[RonF]

I too played the baritone horn in high school. A bugle has a mouthpiece similar to a trumpet. It's key is tunable via a slide, but it has no valves. So, for example, a B-flat baritone horn, when in proper tune, plays B-flat below C below middle C, the F below middle C, the B-flat below middle C, and the D above middle C (among other notes) without depressing a valve. The notes inbetween cannot be played without pressing a valve, so any composition for a valveless B-flat baritone horn wouldn't be able to use those notes. The Boy Scouts have a bugle in their catalogue. I don't know of any other sources, but I imagine that a Google search would bring some up.