A History of the Marine Corps Women's Reserve Band, 1943-1945

The purpose of this study was to chronicle the history of the Marine Corps Women's Reserve Band (MCWRB) that existed from 15 November 1943 through 3 December 1945. Primary sources used to reconstruct the history of the band were correspondence between United States Marine Band members and Marine Corps Women's Reserve Band members; military documents; military books; a personal diary; newspaper articles; concert programs; sound recordings; a movie; and photographs. In addition, 41 members of the MCWRB were interviewed to obtain background information, demographic information, and identify sociological trends among the women in the band. The investigation revealed this was the only all-female band to exist in the history of the Marine Corps, and sixty years after World War II, the band members site this experience as one of the best in their lives. This research fills a gap in music education history by documenting women's roles as military band musicians.