Episode 3.6 - Master Sgt. Christine Purdue Jones
Episode 6 features Master Sgt. Christine Purdue Jones, trombonist with the Ceremonial Brass in the United States Air Force Band in Washington D.C. We are thrilled to have gotten the chance to talk about her military band journey, benefits for military musicians, and how the band is working to create more inclusive programs with more diverse works.
Transcripts are available for every episode thanks to our team of interns!
To learn more about Christine and the resources she recommended, check out the links below!
Hope Arises commissions playlist
Full Transcript
Carrie Blosser 0:00
Welcome to the third season of Diversify the Stand. Together, we speak with a wide range of musicians who talk about topics that are important to them. I'm Carrie Blosser.
Ashley Killam 0:08
And I'm Ashley Killam. We're so excited to dive into talks with a whole bunch of guests this season. If you like following along and are a fan of our podcast, please leave us a five star rating and review. Today we'll be speaking with Master Sergeant Christine Purdue Jones trombonist for the ceremonial brass for the United States Air Force Band, we'll be talking with her about the time in service and some of the cool projects the Air Force bands have going on. Wonderful. Well, thank you so much, Christine, we're so excited to talk with you today.
Christine Purdue Jones 0:36
Thank you for having me,
Ashley Killam 0:38
we'd love to start off just by hearing a little bit about your musical journey into what you currently do.
Christine Purdue Jones 0:43
Great. I am currently a trombonist in the United States Air Force band, I am in the ceremonial brass. And I have been in this position for a little over eight years now. Like many musicians, I spent a lot of time in school before I won my job. I got my bachelor's degree from Stetson University. And then I went on to do a master's at Juilliard. And then I finished up with a doctorate from the University of Miami. And after that, I spent a little bit of time freelancing. And then I won my position with the United States Air Force band,
Carrie Blosser 1:21
I think that you are our first military band guest. So it's super exciting to have a different career perspective, I think sometimes maybe students are very focused in, you know, orchestral jobs. But I think military band, we're going to get into this more has a lot of benefits as like a person and if like family, and just like a career in performing is such a valuable thing to kind of not forget,
Christine Purdue Jones 1:46
absolutely, absolutely. I've loved every minute of my time in the band. And I plan to stay, pretty much until they kick me out until I can't say anymore until I age out or, you know, reach my, the end of my time in service.
Carrie Blosser 2:01
Excellent. So specifically, looking at your military journey, I'd love to hear a little bit more about kind of entering into the military kind of how you've gotten to like the rank and position that you are now. And then also, if you talk a little bit about your drum major experiences, because that is a pioneering thing for the Air Force Band.
Christine Purdue Jones 2:20
Yes. When you went to a position in the Air Force band, you have to go through basic military training, which sounds a little bit scary to a lot of people. But actually, a lot of what you're doing in basic military training is simply in processing into a very large system, it takes a long time to get everybody in and get your medical records sorted out, you need vaccinations, they look at your teeth, you check your eyes, you know, all these things, they give you the uniforms, it takes some time. And yes, there is yelling, and you have to, of course, do workouts and things like that. But you're also spending a lot of time in a classroom, and you're just learning about the culture that you are going to be a part of. And basic training for me was interesting, because I hadn't spent a lot of time around people that weren't musicians. So it was a great opportunity for me to meet different types of people and learn how to talk to people that aren't musicians. And I met some really, really interesting people and people that I still keep in touch with over the years. So yes, we do go through basic training, but it's not so bad and not so scary at all. And on the plus side, I think everybody that goes through comes out in the best shape of their life. So you really have no choice but to do that. So that's, that's definitely a perk. Then, when I arrived on when I arrived to my base, which is joint base Anacostia Bolling in Washington DC, we receive a promotion to the rank of Technical Sergeant, which is the pay grade e6. And this is common, found in all the all of the premier bands. And the reason we get that rank is because we're fully qualified. And that's a very military term. But that's that's how we say it, we are fully qualified. We don't require any additional training. You know, most everybody in the band has probably spent a lot of money, their own money, putting themselves through school and being getting the skill level that they need to win this job. So we're awarded with a rank that matches the level of our our training and skill level. About four years ago, after being in the brass for I guess about four years, I decided that I had an interest in pursuing being one of the drum majors so we have basically have a head drum major, and we have an assistant Drum Major and then they do the majority of the drum major work. But it's important that you have other drum majors who are getting experience over the years that can come up and fill the ranks when they need a new assistant drum major or, or new head drum major. So I just felt compelled to do that. And so I talked to the chief of the ceremonial brass, and the head drum major. And I got going on the process, and he trained me up. And so I have only been a drum major for our funerals at Arlington National Cemetery. But I really, I enjoy the ceremonial brass mission of honoring veterans. And being part of that for somebody's family. Like, for me, it's taken music and given it a different meaning, rather than playing, you know, for people's entertainment, which there's nothing wrong with that, we're playing for some of the most poignant times in somebody's life. So I've really connected with what I do in the ceremonial brass. And it's been wonderful to now take that as drum major, and be even more involved in that mission. And actually, I have been selected to be the next Assistant drum major. So I will be moving into a full time drum major position. And I won't be putting down my trombone by any stretch of the imagination, but what I do for the Air Force, I will be a full time drum major. So that's very exciting.
Ashley Killam 6:31
Congratulations.
Christine Purdue Jones 6:34
Thank you.
Ashley Killam 6:34
That's fantastic. And really, really cool to hear. I know, even Carrie and I talked with so many people about just seeing, you know, seeing someone that looks like you on stage. And I'm sure, you know, having you in the role of drum major shows so many people who maybe had never considered military, that's a total possibility. And that's really, really cool to do. And as someone who is an instrumentalist and got into that role through playing trombone, that's really cool to see.
Christine Purdue Jones 7:03
Yeah. So I think it's really exciting to think that while I am the first female drum major for the Air Force band, hopefully I won't be the last, hopefully it will inspire others to follow.
Ashley Killam 7:16
Definitely. And I know something we initially talked before was you wanted to talk about some of the benefits the military offers, especially recently for women that have come up in the past couple of years. I know, I know very, very little about that. So I'd love to hear, you know, some of the opportunities that being a military musician does offer.
Christine Purdue Jones 7:35
I think one of the most important things. And I think maybe a lot of people assume it can just go without saying, but I definitely think it needs to be said is that women get equal pay in the military, our pay is determined solely by our rank and our time and service. And I don't have to negotiate for a raise, I just get one based on my time and service and my rank. And that is pretty amazing. The military is a great place to have a family. And there's a lot of support. So there's a lot of support for the families themselves, and how that's different than corporate America, because the military values the family, here in the premier band in DC, I won't be moving around. But for everybody else in the military, they do change locations every few years, and families have to be taken care of and prioritized. So, of course, you have great health care that you don't pay for. But also there's a lot of childcare benefits. Military families who use the childcare on base, it's significantly cheaper than using a civilian provider. And then also, of course, there's the GI Bill that even if you come into a military band, and you think well, I'm not going to use that, well, if you have a child, you can transfer that benefit to them. And that's huge, because then their education is taken care of the National Defense Authorization Act that for 2022 has actually increased our parental leave benefits. And so I'm saying parental leave, because it doesn't just apply to women, although there are added benefits for women, but it applies to everybody. So with this National Defense Authorization Act that was just signed by the end of this year, all parents will get 12 weeks of parental leave. And so this applies even if you adopt or if you enter into a long term Foster Care Agreement or if your spouse has a child, everybody gets 12 weeks of parental leave. But on top of that women who give birth will get an additional six weeks of what we call convalescent leave which is believe that you're entitled to that covers your recovery time from giving birth. So that brings women who give birth to a child, nearly four months of parental leave, which is really exciting.
Carrie Blosser 9:57
I think one of the things that I really appreciate to you is even before I think it was called like primary and secondary caregiver. So taking out the gendered roles I thought was like a really cool thing. And then I don't know if you do this in your building, but I've seen places where it's not just like a new mother's room, right? Because not just like women are lactating or need to use that room, but it's like a lactation room. So it's like the defined purpose. I think that's such a like, it's very official, but I think that kind of takes out some of those gendered roles, which I think is awesome.
Christine Purdue Jones 10:26
It absolutely does. And the the terms parental leave, I'm still getting used to using them, because it's been a fairly new change, moving away from calling it maternity leave, and paternity leave. But parental leave just absolutely is much more inclusive, and is much more in line with with with what the military is trying to achieve. And certainly the Air Force with our diversity and inclusion goals.
Carrie Blosser 10:51
And then, a question that we have, because again, we are diversify the stand. And I know there's some things going and I don't know if you can share everything that the Air Force band that your band is doing. But I know that there are some some some things in progress, about thinking about military bands and the music that you're playing. I think a lot of people when you think of military bands, you think of like Sousa marches and like taps. So we'd love to hear over kind of like the future of the Air Force band and kind of some programming in what you're looking at for the future.
Christine Purdue Jones 11:23
So the United States Air Force band just recently created an office of diversity and inclusion. And this is made up of all performing members of the band that are passionate about diversity and inclusion. And there's a lot of us, and, you know, we're taking on these issues and trying to make a difference. And there's a lot in the works. One thing that we did just get solidified is that we have a partnership with And We Were Heard, which will pair us with underrepresented composers, and we'll record their works. And then And We Were Heard, will produce the recordings and put them out, which is really exciting to be part of that. So that's one very concrete way that we are working to ensure that under represented composers are getting their works out there. We're also tracking the programming of our performing ensembles. And we're striving to increase representation of a wide and diverse array of composers in in our work. So recently, we created a commission's project. And, and this was before the diversity and inclusion office was up and running. So we, the project was called Hope Arises which features pieces that capture the themes of joy, renewal, and triumph of the human spirit. So this was a response to what everybody was dealing with during COVID and the lockdown. So we commissioned eight composers to write works that really struck those themes, and two of the composers, two of the eight are underrepresented composers. So we're thrilled to already have featured their works on our YouTube channel, and then we are pushing them out on our Facebook and Instagram, Twitter as well. Over time, we released the Commission's playlist as as one project immediately on YouTube. And so beyond that, beyond just highlighting an underrepresented composers, we're also strive to find innovation in unexpected ways in our programming. So I think a great example of this is during our 2020 Holidays show, which was of course at the height of the pandemic and was all virtual. Well, one one thing that the band enjoys programming during the holidays, is the Nutcracker Suite. And we typically partner with local ballet companies that come in and provide dancers. So we did that. But we also brought in a virtuoso beat boxer and his name was Christylez Bacon, and we featured him during Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, we worked out how to include beatboxing into that classic work. And so that was really fun and interesting. And we he's, he's local to DC and we enjoyed working with them so much that when we did the 2021 holiday show, which was designed just for kids, we brought him in again for that and it was super fun. So obviously Tchaikovsky is still white composer, but we found a way to make it new and fresh.
Ashley Killam 14:39
That's awesome. And I love the fact that you can find ways to you know, make this interdisciplinary collaboration and show like audiences to that there's more ways than just playing the Nutcracker. There's more ways than just playing the standard works. And I love that partnership with And We Were Heard. Not only are you making recordings for works that don't have recordings you're learning about these new composers. And all of the members in the band are finding out, you know, names of new composers and new pieces to just think about.
Christine Purdue Jones 15:11
Yeah, exactly. And we are also trying to take our creative programming into the other aspects of what the United States Air Force band does, that maybe isn't as public but we still think it's just as important to have a wide variety of composers represented. So one specific type of mission that we do is we call it a patriotic opener. And it could be, it could be a string quartet, it could be a brass ensemble, it could be a brass quintet. It could be a woodwind quintet. We have traditionally marches and other patriotic music that we would perform for a pre ceremony situation, but we want to even diversify that music. So right now, we are pursuing a commission by an underrepresented composer to make sure that all of our materials that we use in our various missions are representing the diversity that is found all across America.
Carrie Blosser 16:14
Yeah, yeah, um, Christine, you're doing great. It's like, okay, like, if people don't understand, like, if you listen to the premier bands in DC, like the quality of the video products, the quality the playing, like, Y'all can play anything. And I think there's, I get fired up about this. I was so excited. Like, I was like, almost crying when I heard about like the And We Were Heard and like Air Force Program Partnership, because like, how much impact can happen with that, like so much. Artists are struggling to get their recordings done. And like, this is like, not just like, fulfilling the mission, whatever. But it's an accurate representation of the country. And I feel like, you know, like, the Air Force band is the first one to do this. Tell their force people. I'm so happy for like that you all are doing this. And like, keep going, like, keep going.
Christine Purdue Jones 16:57
Yeah. So I think it's a really exciting time to be part of the Air Force band, the energy from our diversity team is, is really awesome. And there's so many people working on just all sorts of different projects. And, and we're pretty fired up about it.
Ashley Killam 17:14
That's great. I can't wait to hear the recordings that come out. That'd be really, really cool. And then our final question for you that we ask everyone on our podcast is what's on your music stand this week? And how are you diversifying your stand, whether that's a physical stand, or metaphorical stand?
Christine Purdue Jones 17:33
Okay, well, I'm getting ready for a recital. So most of my staff has been occupied by that music that I will be performing in just a couple weeks. But one of the pieces is an unaccompanied cello piece written by Amy Mills. She's written a lot of trombone works, but I still this one that she wrote for cello. It's called Yea Though I Walk Through the Valley subtitled Lament for Solo Cello. And I thought it was a fitting piece. Here we are, over two years into a pandemic. And hopefully, the end is in sight. But we also just passed 900,000 deaths here in America. So we can't forget everything that that we've been through. So I think her piece is really appropriate for the time that we're in right now. But a fun fact about her is that she was the first and only female commander of the United States Air Force band. So we have a connection and, and I'm looking forward to playing her work. And then I'm also playing a concertino by David Wilborn. And he is a Black composer and trombonist, but most importantly, his work is awesome. It's super fun to play. I'm actually closing my recital with with his piece and it's just got a ton of energy. And it's just a great way to close out a recital. And so I'm looking forward to featuring both of those works here in a couple weeks.
Ashley Killam 19:03
Super. Well, thank you so much.
Carrie Blosser 19:07
Thank you for listening to Diversify the Stand. To support us and our projects, visit our website at diversify the stand.org.
Ashley Killam 19:14
And a huge shout out to Eris DeJarnett, who wrote the intro and outro music, the piece that we've been playing is Bored Games for two trumpets and fixed media, links to their website or in the podcast description.
Carrie Blosser 19:25
And as always, we asked our guests what's on your stand