By Pfc. Justin Humphreys
JACKSON, Miss. - Soldiers of the 41st Army Band, Mississippi Army National Guard, spent their drill weekend enjoying their newly renovated facility at the Raymond Road Readiness Center Complex on Jan. 9, 2016.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Casey Kirk, commander of the band, said time is now better used and retention rates have increased with the relocation.
“This building is now a recruitment tool because it is a state of the art building,” said the Clinton resident. “The Soldiers are now able to get in here and practice a lot.”
The band’s new facility is twice the size of the previous one, according to Kirk. The new building has four soundproof chambers where each musical performance team can practice simultaneously without intruding on the others.The remodeling and repair of the former vehicle maintenance building cost approximately $794,000.
“We have our own separate designated areas, but we also have a huge band hall so we can do everything we need to do separately then come back into the hall to do projects together,” said Spc. Rondell Evans, the saxophone player for the band’s jazz ensemble and Hattiesburg native.
Members can use their time better by rehearsing in their own assigned rooms instead of waiting for another group to finish rehearsing like they had to in their previous one-room facility.
“When we do our classes, we have ample time to cover the lessons,” said Kirk. “We feel that, with our better time management, the more service we can provide for our state.”
Date Taken: | 01.09.2016 |
Date Posted: | 01.12.2016 14:00 |
Story ID: | 185970 |
Location: | JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, US |
Hometown: | CLINTON, MISSISSIPPI, US |
Hometown: | HATTIESBURG, MISSISSIPPI, US |
Hometown: | JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, US |
Web Views: | 151 |
Downloads: | 1 |
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