Photo By Cpl. Tanner Pittard | U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Carlos Ortiz IV, the musician technical assistant for 6th...... read more read more
“Playing in front of people is probably the most vulnerable thing you can do, especially as a soloist,” said Ortiz as he described his performances, reflecting his innermost thoughts and emotions. It represents his truest self, as if a connection is created with his audience, “In music you’re always telling a story, so whatever emotion I’m feeling that day, that’s what comes out. Therefore, vulnerability.”
Staff Sgt. Carlos Ortiz IV, the musician technical assistant (MTA) for 6th Marine Corps District, prides himself in earning the title of United States Marine. The U.S. Marine Corps has allowed him to pursue his musical passion freely with no shortage of opportunities.
Ortiz comes from a line of both military service members and musicians. Music was all he knew growing up. With his father being a trumpeter, his mother a flutist, and grandfather a drummer, Ortiz never found himself short of great inspiration. His father was the thatch to his musical flame. Ortiz would be mesmerized each time his father would play the cornet and he would draw inspiration from his father’s collection of cassettes. Trumpeters like Chuck Mangioni, Doc Severinsen and Louis Armstrong were pivotal for jazz during the 1970’s and 1980’s. Their legacy and talent influenced future generations, like a young Ortiz, to reach greater heights.
At a young age, he travelled the world due to his father’s military service as an Airman in the United States Air Force. However, it was when his family settled in Pleasanton, Texas, that he felt most at home. Ortiz attended Pleasanton High School and participated in the school’s jazz, marching and concert bands. At the time, a local ensemble by the name Jess Mills Jazz Band hired him as one of its members. This music-rich environment allowed him to develop his musicianship and find his true self. His experiences, family support and the dedication of his teachers served as a solid foundation for his musical development.
“I just fell in love with music and I would find myself playing my horn (trumpet) at every moment,” he said. Ortiz always strived to be the first chair. During grade school, he would fight for the solo position, besting upper classmen in order to secure the top spot. He tried each day to reach the level of musicians who inspired him through his early years. “…and it wasn’t just playing music, but it was trying to understand it, its harmonies, and everything that came with it.”
His music career led him to attend Northwestern State University in Natchitoches to earn his bachelors in Classical Trumpet. As an undergraduate, Ortiz started teaching high school students. He would soon come to realize that teaching came natural to him. Seeing his students’ faces brighten as they understood the material created a feeling of gratification within him. What first was a part-time job to supplement his studies, quickly turned into a new desire to pursue. Ortiz earned his master’s degree in Jazz Trumpet at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Upon graduation, he stayed local to Pittsburgh and became the trumpet professor at Washington & Jefferson College, as well as teaching 6th-12th grade band at Urban Pathways Charter School.
Becoming a professor is a once-in-life-time opportunity, he described. Not everyone receives the chance to teach at a college level, especially right after graduation. For this, he was incredibly grateful. However, one feeling still lingered in his being. Ortiz feared his musical progression had become stagnant, leaving him unfulfilled. The fire within yearned for something more. He remembered his upbringing, how his father and grandfather served the country. Ortiz was steadily achieving his goals as a musician, but he also wanted to honor that part of his legacy. That’s when he made a choice.
Seeing the dedication and success of his father gave him a positive look on the U.S. Air Force. This made him try to follow his example. Ortiz visited the Armed Service Career Center to gather information on his options. He opened the building’s glass door, making his way to the Air Force’s office. He soon came to realize, with a few tugs of the door’s handle, that the office was closed. Disappointed, Ortiz looked around the building’s corridor and noticed a familiar emblem. A door by the end of the hallway with the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor.
Suddenly, a cascade of thoughts burdened him. During his regular commutes to and from work, he always found himself staring at a particular billboard by the road. It had a simple message: “Join the Marines.” This simple phrase engulfed his mind in relenting waves, “As if it were a sign from God,” he said. Ortiz went deeper still into the recesses of his mind. He recalled the taunting words of his grandfather, who had served in the U.S. Marine Corps. “Oh man, you couldn’t hack the Marines,” “it’s too tough.” Each thought equaled a step made toward the Marine’s door. Ortiz, fueled with determination, opened the door to Recruiting Substation (RSS) Ross Park. He wanted to prove that he could become a Marine to not only his grandfather, but to himself.
Ortiz enlisted in the United States Marine Corps early 2003. He found that keeping a balance between his physical abilities and musical dexterity would be arduous, but not impossible. Around this time is where he met Staff Sgt. Jim Wallace, the MTA for 1st Marine Corps District, who auditioned Ortiz for a spot in the Marine Corps Band. After seeing Ortiz’ potential, Wallace offered him a position within the United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, in Washington D.C. Ortiz ecstatically accepted.
The Marine Corps has given Ortiz opportunities that would have otherwise taken him a lifetime to achieve. He fondly remembers performing “Taps” at our Nation’s most hallowed grounds, the Arlington National Cemetery, which he describes as one of his greatest and most honorable accomplishments. He began travelling, playing in stages around the world, while serving his country. Alongside these unique experiences, the Marine Corps provided him a position at the Naval School of Music as a Basic Academic Instructor, and later as Chief Basic Academic Instructor.
“I chose the Marines because they’re the best of the best,” he said. The mysticism that’s associated with the Marines is one of the many aspects that brought Ortiz to the Corps. The sense of belonging and the fulfilment the Marine Corps has given him, keeps him committed in his service to the country. “I wanted to take that challenge, to push myself and be something different. I love being a Marine.”
Ortiz currently serves as the MTA for 6MCD. He oversees the audition process for those men and women aiming to be a musician in the Marine Corps. During his travels across the Southeast of the United States, Ortiz conducts master classes, band talks and performances in different ensembles. Now he’s set his sights on becoming a Warrant Officer in the Marine Corps. Ortiz continues to advance his skills as musician and a Marine, as he lives out his passion each day.
| Date Taken: | 07.10.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.25.2024 14:07 |
| Story ID: | 481636 |
| Location: | PARRIS ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Hometown: | PLEASANTON, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 86 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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