military_branch john r. bourgeois
The United States Marine Band is the premier band of the ___MASK48___ . Established by act of Congress on July 11 , 1798 , it is the oldest of the United States military bands and the oldest professional musical organization in the United States . Today , the Marine Band also includes the Marine Chamber Orchestra and Marine Chamber Ensembles . The ___MASK48___ ( USMC ) is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection , using the mobility of the United States Navy , by Congressional mandate , to deliver rapidly , combined - arms task forces on land , at sea , and in the air . The U . S . Marine Corps is one of the four armed service branches in the U . S . Department of Defense ( DoD ) and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States . The current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , the highest - ranking military officer in the U . S . armed forces , is a Marine Corps general . Colonel John R . Bourgeois was a conductor of the United States Marine Band from 1979 to 1996 , as well as esteemed composer / arranger of American music . Bourgeois also currently serves as Vice President of the Board of Trustees of the Sinfonia Educational Foundation . He was initiated as an honorary member of the Zeta Pi chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity at Loyola University in 1956 , and as a member of the Fraternity ' s Alpha Alpha National Honorary Chapter in 1997 . He was the Fraternity ' s 2000 recipient of the Charles E . Lutton Man of Music Award , presented at its national convention in Dallas , Texas . United States military bands include musical ensembles maintained by the ___MASK61___ , ___MASK71___ , ___MASK48___ , United States Air Force , and United States Coast Guard . More broadly , they can also include musical ensembles of other federal and state uniformed services , including the Public Health Service and NOAA Corps , the state defense forces , and the senior military colleges .