
November 5, 2019
We honor our veterans with a look at the role music plays in our military. Guest Jari Villanueva also gives a behind-the-scenes look at the call of Taps, a way of thanking the military for their service and for a job well done. Veterans Day is November 11.
Guest
Joining us from Maryland is Jari Villanueva, who spent 23 years with The USAF Band in Washington DC. He retired from the Air Force at the rank of Master Sergeant. He is considered the country’s foremost expert on military bugle calls, particularly the call of Taps which is sounded at military funerals. In 2007, he was inducted into the Buglers Hall of Fame, the first active duty military bugler to receive this honor.
Improv
Jari recommends playing (on bugle or trumpet) or singing Taps:
Day Is Done
Gone The Sun
From The Lake
From The Hills
From The Sky
All is Well
Safely Rest
God is Nigh
Connect
- Website: TapsBugler.com
- Facebook FaceBook.com/TapsBugler
Additional Resources
- Taps For Veterans provides live Taps players for military funerals. Contact them if you are in need of a bugler. If you are a bugle OR trumpet player, contact them to volunteer (there is a shortage of players).
- Kennedy Center Arts Edge website with video/info on music in the military
- Military OneSource: source of all info military; partnering with Jari on military music content
- 100 Nights of Taps Gettysburg 2019 Facebook page and website
Coda
The call of Taps is a way of thanking the military for their service and for a job well done. Listen to Jari’s arrangement (for 7 trumpets) of Taps:
Im a junior in high school also being a scout for almost 7 years now. Very interesting all the information about bugling. Because at every scout camp I have been to. They play revelry in the morning and then taps at night. Are troop owns a bugle and when a scout gets the position of bugler they take the bugle for 3 months and teach themselves how to play it. Usually they play the French horn or the Trumpet. It was interesting to learn more about Taps. Looking forward to knew episodes!
Thanks so much for commenting, Gabriel. I had no idea that Taps was played at scout camps — very cool and fascinating! It would be interesting to hear the story of how Taps came to be played at scout camps, and how long that tradition has been going on. Thanks for listening!