Believe it or not, you don't! In fact, some of our senior officers including Department head roles have been held by students who never played an instrument before joining TBC. With that said, all officers will be expected to attend parades still, which means you'll need to join our color guard or pick up an instrument like cymbals, but we'll provide you with training.

Absolutely! We welcome all students interested in taking on a leadership role and are willing to put in the work. It is rare for students to start in executive or department head level roles, but not impossible. Sometimes, it just depends on where we have openings, interested applicants, and the qualifications of the applicants.

TBC has a unique policy in that everyone who applies will be given a role. It might not be what you applied for, but you will be given a chance to prove yourself. We often promote our officers internally when vacancies appear during the year, so it's to your advantage to join early and serve as a junior officer. We recommend that you be open minded about accepting other roles, you might discover a new passion. As a student led program, we always have officers graduating and others being promoted up. Our executive officers will always pick the best person available for a job which is a combination of commitment and qualifications.

General officers will start by submitted an application and resume, which will be followed by a 15-30 minute interview with our CEO and other executive officers as their schedule permits. Based on your application and interview performance, you will be assigned to a specific department and role.

Executive & Department Heads typically go through selection between Jan and Mar each year and are usually promoted from within. Executive applicants will also go through a 1 hour scenario based interview.

Officers are welcome to volunteer and help out with our various departments. We often post voluntary assignments that are first come first serve and not assigned to specific officers. Volunteering outside of your role is a great way to gain experience to help earn a transfer to a different department or executive level role in the future.

While we are based in Fremont, we have members from over 70 schools across the Greater Bay Area. Outside of Fremont's 5 high schools, we have had officers from: Logan HS, Foothill HS, Granada HS, Livermore HS, Dublin HS, Milpitas HS, Newark HS, Dougherty Valley HS, San Mateo HS, Piedmont Hills HS, Valley Christian HS, Castro Valley HS, Challenger, Cupertino HS, Monta Vista HS, and DeAnza College.

Nope! Donations are highly appreciated as it costs tens of thousands of dollars to do what we do every year, and all contributions go to support the very activities and events that our officers organize and manage. However, we know that not every family is able to contribute financially, and we would welcome your support in whatever way you are comfortable.

All of our officers are students first. In the rare instances where your school band will be attending the same parade or event we are performing at, we don't allow you to play with us. You must prioritize your school program first. We highly encourage all of our officers and members to be a part of their school program. At the end of the day, our Royal Regiment (high school program) is NOT a teaching program. We assume that you can already play your instrument or spin (guard) and march. Students who don't know how will have a difficult time keeping up with the group.

Nope! One of the cornerstones of TBC's philosophy is that students are capable of handling all of the issues normally dealt with by band parents and staff. We prefer to see students take on these roles when possible. With that said, mom and dad will probably need to drive you to rehearsals and events, and support your decision to be an officer in this group. New officer's parents will be expected to attend a one time 1-hr meeting to learn about the rules and operations of TBC, so they are fully aware of what their student is committing to and will be involved with. There are times where we will need adult volunteers usually in kitchen or carpool roles, but nothing is ever required.

TBC operates on a "gig" basis which means we do not have regular rehearsals. Each time we have a performance, we send out a message asking for members to register for that particular show. We hold 4 rehearsals (6 for guard and percussion) for each performance we attend. You only need to attend rehearsals if you are doing the performance (unless required by your officer role).

Most of our meetings and events happen on Sunday evenings during the school year. Parade rehearsals are all scheduled during daylight hours in the afternoon or evening when students are not in school

It is not mandatory for TBC officers to take part in performances, but it is highly recommended to engage in our Royal Regiment. Part of being an officer is setting good examples and one way you can do that is by attending performances as well as their corresponding rehearsals. With officers at our performances, not only will they have the opportunity to perform and show their musical skills, but they will be able to take on the responsibilities of the group. This prepares them for their future and gives them good insight into handling issues that are normally dealt with by adults or staff.