The San Antonio paper is reporting this story:

Quote:

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As a first generation college student, Gerardo Juarez was just looking for the cheapest dorm at Texas A&M University.

Turns out, he signed up for a dorm meant for the Corps of Cadets, a military-style leadership development organization whose membership is also required to be in the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band.

Despite rigid requirements to join the band, including a touch audition process, Juarez found himself a member of the band even though he hadn't played an instrument since the sixth grade.

So, he did the only thing he could do: He faked it. For four years.

About a month before classes started, Juarez said he received an email about attending band orientation. It was too late to find other housing, so he showed up.


Auditions take place at the New Student Conference, and he signed up for the last one, which was during Fall Orientation Week, he said in a comment. At orientation, when the directors asked if he had auditioned, he truthfully said, "No."

"They told me 'Someone will come get you throughout the week,'" Juarez said. "Band Practice and FOW started. No one ever came to get me to audition."

He said he had no idea what the Corps of Cadets was.

"When I tell you that I did not know what the Corps of Cadets was I did not know what the Corps of Cadets was. That is the thing that I joined in order to be in this band," Juarez said in a follow-up video.

Juarez said he got by because the band practiced marching, not music. He was one of about 50 people in the lower brass section, he said.

"You cannot speak as a freshman. You're a cadet. You have to stand at attention at all times. No one cares about musicality."

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https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/gerardo-juarez-tamu-marching-band-19986650.php?utm_content=hed&sid=5b02342d24c17c5e3d8fbcb6&ss=A&st_rid=6fbcabbc-d941-4a36-8ec9-f603450a176d&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=headlines&utm_campaign=SAEN_210Report

That is totally awesome

i have a BQ LT in my squadron and he says it fairly common

I would argue that it's not fairly common now days, and judging by you said LT that means they should be a pretty recent grad. It wasn't common in my time 2000-2004, and there was an audition when I said I wanted to do FTAB. Granted I don't remember it being hard, and if you had played an instrument at some point in your life you would have passed. I knew just a couple of guys in the FTAB who had zero musical abilities and just wanted to do FTAB to be in the FTAB. I think now that it's Dr Rhea and has been him in charge for sometime, there is a lot more emphasis on actually being able to play and play decently. I'd like to think Col Brewer had some say in letting folks in that had no musical ability based on previous family and such. The article mentions this was a fluke and the dude kept slipping through the cracks. Good for him. At the end of the day though, it can't be that common because of the expectation for games, parades, reviews and other functions the FTAB is required to play at, and sometimes those are much smaller groups than the 400+ on Simpson Drill Field or Kyle Field. A lot harder to hide non-musical ability. (Not that the FTAB has ever been know for its musical prowess).

FWIW I made up my one parts to songs because I played the clarinet and you couldn't hear it anyways. All I ever heard were trumpets and drums.

i don't buy the story. You don't sign up for a specific Corps dorm. They assign you a dorm. At NSO you sign up for the Corps, then you get fitted for unies. At least now in the FTAB you do auditions the last semester of your senior year in HS. And you can ask for an outfit at NSO but that is no guarantee you'll get it.

All that being said, yes many are in the band and can't play, it's been that way probable for decades

Yea i don't buy the story, nobody just "accidentally " signs up. I smell a load of bs by a guy trying to **** on A&M. Of course the leftist media is running wild with it and everyone is making fun of A&M yet again.

It does seem like a bit of an odd story. Likely some component of exaggeration at the very least. I think I saw someone on reddit say he was this guy's old lady and confirmed that he couldn't play and all the fish just went along with it.

That being said, I think I recall signing up for corps dorms. Can't remember at what point it was, but it specifically said on the website that the dorms were restricted to corps members only. And then I think the corps assigned you dorm based on outfit at FOW. But I think I signed up after my NSC.

It has been about 20 years (wow!) since I went through this, so it's possible something has changed.

That's how I remember it during my NSC in June of 2000. Said I wanted to join the Corps, and was told to pick Corps dorms. Also that's when I did my "audition" for the FTAB. I also remember being able to choose my outfit, B-Battery,

My fish year was 1966-67, when applying I was given of an air conditioned dorm or a non air conditioned dorm, I chose the former. They closed 3 dorms in. the quad to install aircon, so I spent the next 2 semesters in the Sbissa area with the rest of the 2nd Wing and the 1st Brigade, never ate a single meal in Duncan. All because of a box I checked on my application.

I wanted on-campus housing. I don't know if I would have gotten it other wise, but I went to a traditions presentation in Rudder the night before my summer orientation. My best friend from HS was already going to be a BQ; I was on the fence. We went out to Mr. Gatti;s after the presentation with a couple of sergebutts from L-1 '78, and that's how I wound up making sure I got a room 0n campus.