The Sea Cadets

Every year, thousands of people are entertained by Sea Cadet Bands. Occasions range from Unit fund raising events, local Fetes and Carnivals, Civic Parades, right up to the most prestigious public occasions. Sea Cadet Bands also perform overseas on a regular basis.

Sea Cadets usually commence their musical careers as members of a Unit band. Such bands have traditionally consisted of drums, bugles and bell lyres, but over a period of time the instrumental composition has widened to include brass and woodwind as well. This has meant that cadets who have perhaps learned instrument skills at school can take a full part in Sea Cadet musical activities. There are now a few bands across the country who are entirely brass and woodwind in line up.

Basic training is delivered at unit level by Unit bandmasters or visiting instructors who are assisted by Area Staff as required. Several times a year, bands and musicians are brought together to form combined or massed bands for the major events. Intensive and high quality training is given at Area and National level for these events, very often enhanced by the active involvement of members of The Royal Marines Band Service.

Two National Band Courses are run at HMS RALEIGH each year catering for up to 30 cadets and six adults as Bandmasters under training, on each course. Training is conducted in the band complex of the Band of HM Royal Marines Plymouth, who also provide assistance with training.

We are very much intent on following the practices and principles of Royal Marines musical instruction and much of our training follows their methodology and documentation. We are enormously proud of our close association with our “parent Band Service”. This relationship goes back over many years and we are very grateful for all their help and encouragement. As well as adjudication at competitions, guidance and advice is available to instructors, musical workshops take place, access to the music library is arranged and training techniques and instructional documents are shared. Continuous exposure of Sea Cadet Musicians to The Royal Marines Band Service can help enormously any cadet who seeks to follow a musical career and a number of cadets each year are granted work experience placements with a Royal Marines Band.

This has meant that Sea Cadet Bands have increasingly been able to take on a wider range of musical engagements and the musical offering now embraces melodic concert pieces and more upbeat material, as well as keeping our traditional military offering strong and healthy. Whatever the occasion Sea Cadet Bands perform with pride, professionalism, flair and always a smile.

It is now possible for all cadets, whether their own Unit has a band or not, whether they are experienced or not, playing widely varying instruments, to take a full part in our increasing number of high profile events throughout the year.

From 2005 cadets aged 16+ have been able to utilise their musical skills gained through the Sea Cadet Corps to earn a BTEC First Diploma in Music. This qualification is equivalent to 4 GCSE’s graded A* to C, or 4 Standard Grades at levels 1-3 in Scotland. And it’s free for Cadets!