CAMP MURRAY, Wash. - “Where words fail, music speaks,” said Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, who was particularly noted for his fairy tales.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Scott Pierson, commander of the 133rd Army National Guard Band, knows this quote to be true. For the past 11 years, he has seen his group of Guard musicians wow crowds in communities throughout the state.
Pierson, not only the commander but the 133rd Band leader, has emphasized to his members to be aware that they are a public face to the Washington National Guard in communities that might not get exposed to service members too often.
“It’s a pretty amazing job and we get to go out and interact with the public on a regular basis and interact with all of the different units within the state itself. Then with our educational mission we get into High Schools, Middle Schools and elementary schools and carry the message of the Washington National Guard to everyone,” Pierson said. “In some of these communities we are the only uniformed members they have ever interacted with.”
The 133rd Army Band is a diverse group of musicians, ranging from teenagers to mid-fifties. Like most Guard members they come from every background across the state, including many who are educators and professional musicians. Although his time in uniform predates the 133d Band, famous musician and producer Quincy Jones traces his roots to the Washington National Guard’s 41st Division Band. Jones joined the group as a 14-year old and created his time learning the small ensemble with honing his craft.
“The band is an exceptional unit in the Washington National Guard. Our job is to support the troops in ceremonies and different types of events,” said Pierson. “Also for community outreach and community relations, as well as educational outreach missions, so our purpose is three fold.”
The 133d is also unique due to their structure. The members are broken into three ensembles, or music performance teams; a rock band named Full Metal Racket, the traditional brass band, Patriot Brass and swinging Dixieland band, the General's 7 Dixie Band. These different ensembles fit into every type of request, serving the community and represent the Washington National Guard.
During the holiday season, all three of the 133rd Band’s groups will come together for their annual Red, White and Blue Holiday concert.
“Our major holiday performance is at the Auburn Performing Arts Center at Auburn High School,” said Pierson. “It’s free, but it is encouraged to get a ticket because the seating is limited. They only have about 1,100 seats and it gets packed every year,”
This year’s show will take place on December 2, at 2 p.m. Auburn, Wash.