Making a living as a musician is no easy gig. It's prompted some performers to turn to the defence force, for stability, and opportunity. Once they secure a competitive place in Australia’s army band, musicians must balance their craft with being a soldier.
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00:00When Toby Brown dreamed of a drumming career, his visions didn't include a camouflage uniform.
00:10I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would be in the Defence Force.
00:15The 25-year-old was studying music at uni and strapped for cash when he discovered the
00:20Australian Army Band.
00:22I didn't even know that this job existed, so when I found out that I could play the
00:26drums and serve, it was, you know, a match made in heaven.
00:32The Army employs 160 full-time musicians and another 300 reservists in 11 bands around
00:39the country.
00:40It can be very competitive to get a place in the Army Band. We have some instruments
00:44that are only a very small number are available, and so those positions can be very competitive.
00:51Musicians go through the same basic training as the rest of the recruits and are expected
00:56to maintain soldiering skills.
00:58One day we can be at the range, you know, with weapons, and the next day we're playing
01:03music in front of thousands of people, so it's a bit of a juxtaposition.
01:07The band is a broad church. As a classically trained trumpeter, Danni Rich spent her 20s
01:14playing overseas before enlisting in the Army as an intelligence analyst.
01:22During training I got injured, and then I came to another crossroads where they kind
01:27of gave me a few options of what to do. So I said, oh, actually I've been a trumpet player
01:31my whole life, do you think I can join the Army Band?
01:34The job is often ceremonial, but at its core is a duty to entertain.
01:42Back when northern New South Wales was battling a lot with the floods, we were deployed on
01:51Op Flood Assist, and it was a great experience for us being able to go into a place which
01:56is really kind of suffering as a community, and be able to go in there and provide a little
02:01bit of relief.
02:02The job comes with international trips too, but they're not your typical Army deployments.
02:07These musicians are preparing to perform the Basel Tattoo in Switzerland this month,
02:12alongside some of the world's most elite Army bands.
02:16While making a living in the arts is increasingly challenging, these soldiers say the job offers
02:21them security and stability.
02:24I was working five different jobs, so for a full-time option this was very suitable
02:31to me.
02:31Being able to be paid a salary and tour the world playing drums for the Defence Force
02:36is fantastic.
02:39As the broader ADF battles recruitment issues, retaining musicians in a job they love is
02:45less of a challenge.