Band doesn't take of their hats while The Star Spangled Banner plays?

[Atterbury Dodd]

Hello,
On Memorial Day I went to hear a brass band. They were pretty good and played some good old jazz and early 1900's marches. Anyway, they started out the performance with The Star Spangled banner. The conductor asked the audience to please stand for the national Anthem. They did; however, most of the band were wearing red, white, and blue top hats and they did not take them of during the Anthem. Is this correct etiquette for the band since they have their hands full? Somehow it doesn't seem right. However, it does seem like I can remember a Bing Crosby movie where he sings a patriotic song with a top hat on. May not have been the anthem he was singing though.

Many members of the band are friends of mine so don't be to hard on them.

Atterbury

 

[Barrelhouse]

I think that it has always been acceptable for members of a uniformed band to keep their heads covered while playing the national anthem. I don't think I have ever seen a member of a military band, marching band, or brass band along the lines of John Phillip Sousa's doff their hats during the song. I suspect that it is a combination of military rules of hat etiquette and shear practicality as a musicians hands are generally full.

Males in civilian dress, on the other hand, should always take off their hat with their right hand and place it over their heart.

 

[Miss Neecerie]

When in high school I was in Marching Band and we left our uniform hats on for the National Anthem.

 

[dhermann1]

I think it would look pretty silly for them to do so.
If you want to stretch it, theoretically, the act of playing could be construed as a form of salute.

 

[Paisley]

When I was in basic training in the Air Force, I was in the drum & bugle corps. We left our hats on while we played. What else would we have done with them?

DHerrmann--good point about the playing of the song being a form of salute.

 

[JennyLou]

Throughout my high school marching band years and years as a high school band instructor I have never seen a band remove headgear while playing the national anthem.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The only people who are required to take their hats off during a flag ceremony are civilian males -- men and boys. Uniformed males and all women keep hats on -- uniformed males perform a military salute, women put their hands over their heart.

Or so I was taught in my Girl Scout Color Guard days.

 

[Atterbury Dodd]

Aha. That makes it quite clear then. I guess I'm just used to the Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman image-- when they performed they never had hats on, being civilians and all. Yes, that is a salute to play the Anthem!

Now the guns must be trained on those in the audience that didn't take their hats off..... the men.

They played Basin Street Blues and some other good stuff at the concert....I bet some of you wish you had been there!

 

[dhermann1]

D & B

Off topic, but what they hey. Paisley, when I was in the Marine Corps I heard a lot of good military bands. I was stationed at Camp Smith, above Honolulu for 2 years (yeah, rough duty) and being the HQ of FMFPAC as well as CINCPAC, they had a lot of dignitaries. I got to listen to the base Drum and Bugle Corps practice on many occasions. They were really dynamite.

 

[Paisley]

The only people who are required to take their hats off during a flag ceremony are civilian males -- men and boys. Uniformed males and all women keep hats on -- uniformed males perform a military salute, women put their hands over their heart.

Or so I was taught in my Girl Scout Color Guard days.

When I was in (20 years ago) women in uniform saluted also. In civilian clothes, saluting was optional.

 

[Paisley]

Off topic, but what they hey. Paisley, when I was in the Marine Corps I heard a lot of good military bands. I was stationed at Camp Smith, above Honolulu for 2 years (yeah, rough duty) and being the HQ of FMFPAC as well as CINCPAC, they had a lot of dignitaries. I got to listen to the base Drum and Bugle Corps practice on many occasions. They were really dynamite.

fftopic: The whole marching band experience is one long blur to me. Marching, sweating, playing, heat, gnats, sweating, practicing, heat, gnats, pavement, grass, playing...we might have played at our own graduation. I don't remember.

I'm sure it was better than KP, though.

 

[zetwal]

Anyone here see the elder George Carlin's routine that (in part) goes into the question of hats and when to wear or not to wear them?

I don't remember the name of that particular broadcast, perhaps someone here does. Meanwhile, even if it's off topic, thinking of that other routine makes me want to post this extraordinary section of still another show.

http://www.maniacworld.com/George-Carlin-Modern-Man.html