Bugling and summer camp

[willysjeep]

I was a bugler in my troop as a youth. I didn'have the merit badge though. Both then and now I can see Bugling as sort of a lost art. The main purpose of a bugler now is to play during flag ceremonies and to sound assembly. The problem is that most other scouts, and indeed most buglers, don't know any of the other calls that were used every day. Swimming, Officers(PLC), Church, Fire, Call to Quarters, Mess, there are all kinds of calls that would be still applicable in most camps. Music is more pleasant than a bull horn to me too. It would also be nice to be able to sound "officers" and get the PLC together, or to play "swimming" to remind everybody gently that open swimming started then, without screaming my head off.

 

Come to think of it, the BSA used to use whistle calls too. I guess these were phased out long ago though. IIRC they were simply "assemble", "go out farther" A few others. Those, along with the old hand signals, if they were a part of any troop program, could b very useful. Whistles are easier to use than bugles, and could be given to each responsible patrol leader for functions where yelling is impractical but you still need an audible signal. Still better than a bull horn, or yelling like a maniac.

 

Anybody else still use bugling or other non-voice signals in their troops or camps?

[Bob58]

My Unit does not, nor do any in my district to my knowledge -- but you've started me thinking. Starting with Summer camp is better than say.... Klondike!

I do believe that the tape of bugle calls is still available, but I'm not sure. ( My son the clarinetist, did the Music MB several years ago & his buddy who did Bugling at the same time had purchased one then. (Scouters are frequently better at Bulging than bugling.)

 

I can't speak for them but I'll pass the question along to a troop in the Valley Forge, PA area who has a "signalling" contest that is judged by an Army Signal Corp group from Ft. Indidantown Gap (?)

(I know that they did Morse Code through 2003.)

 

your humble servant,

Bob

[le Voyageur]

On rivers and lakes hand and paddle signals are an absolute must. However, they are not covered in neither the Canoeing, or the Whitewater mb's, and few summer camp canoeing instructors are even aware of them.

 

On the other side of the coin is the loss of Morse code...even though I know it, but, due to changing times this code has become worthless due to a heavy reliance on electronic devices by scouts, and scouters...and efforts to teach even the most basic of three shorts, three longs, three shorts for those scouts striving for the Wilderness Survival mb has been for the most part a waste of time on my part...

[AK-Eagle]

sang to the tune It ain't going to rain no more.....

 

Oh _____________ is our bugler....

He bugles very well

but when he bugles reveille

We wish he were in ... bed.

 

 

Phil

[Fat Old Guy]

There once was a man named Dougal MacDougal

Who found various ways to be frugal.

He learned how to sneeze

In the various keys

thus saving the price of a bugle.

 

 

 

[Fat Old Guy]

Bugle calls as midi, mp3, wave and real audio files are available on the internet. Start with http://www.fmaalumni.org/bugle_calls.html

[Be_Prepared]

The troop I work with uses bugle calls at every campout, in addition to summer camp. There is a scouter bugler that works with the troop buglers. The calls used on a regular basis are: Reveille ( wake up ); Assembly ( fall in ); To The Colors ( they usually only play the first 8 measures, unless we've got a tall flagpole ); First Call ( used at summer camp - played 5 minutes before Assembly to signal that scouts need to get into uniform for the evening assembly); Tattoo ( evening, used to signal to put out fires and get ready for bed; Taps; and Church.

 

Bugles are also used for any areawide games, such as Capture the Flag to signal start and stop.

 

Neither of the summer camps we go to has had a bugler in the past, so one of our guys does 'To The Colors' and 'Retreat' during the week for the campwide flags.

 

I agree that it is a dying art. At distric camporees, the troop is the only one that uses bugles so we usually supply one for flags, etc.

[VentureScoutNY]

 

Be_Prepared thats awesome!

[MidwestMom]

I have a Scout son who is enjoying learning to play bugle calls.....on his trombone. I know that for the bugling merit badge, he would have to play them on a bugle, trumpet or cornet, but could he be his Troop's Bugler and play them on a trombone?

[John-in-KC]

Bugle call website:

 

http://bands.army.mil/music/bugle/default.asp

 

[John-in-KC]

Ceremonial Music online:

 

http://www2.acc.af.mil/music/ceremonial/tun

[willysjeep]

I am one of the staff buglers at my summer camp still. Actually, when it rains I guess it pours. There are three buglers on staff other than me. Unfortunately I get a little bent out of shape over some of the stuff that goes on there. A few years ago there was a trombone trio that did "to the colors" at a morning flag ceremony. Now to me, I see that as going beyond ceremony and getting pretty close to being a joke. So, to avoid ruffling too many feathers I am sort of the last-resort-emergency bugler now. I also caught holy heck for having "taps" played more than three times one night. Apparently two staff buglers played it at diferent times, and one troop bugler played it too. Next day I had a bugler roster set up to avoid any confusion.

 

But during cubby week we really have fun, when it isn't too inappropriate. We did find out that assembly can be played in a round, and so can mess. Because most scouts and cubbers don't know the diference we did have to play assembly once in a while at lunch to get everybody together.

 

But in general, it seems like no matter what anybody play, at any given time, boy or cub scouts, somebody allways ends up yelling "charge" at the end. I think the concept is lost on some people. Mabey I should do some sort of demonstration, or mabey just start using as many bugle calls as I can remember, and when somebody asks what that call was, I can tell them "why, that was swimming" or "that was call to quarters".......mabey re-start a tradition. Bugle calls would sure be a lot mor effective if everybody had some clue as to what they meant.

[John-in-KC]

Mr WJ,

 

Send them to the Army website I posted above, or point them to the site below:

 

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/bugle.htm

 

RANT mode ON:

 

Why cannot the Boy Scouts of America understand that Reveille is the beginning of the official duty day, and that the Colors are to go up as the Troop is formed at the Flagpole??? FIRST CALL is the wakeup, you stand Reveille.

 

RANT mode OFF

 

John

[Fat Old Guy]

"Why cannot the Boy Scouts of America understand that Reveille is the beginning of the official duty day,"

 

As I commented elsewhere, maybe the Scouts are following a naval tradition and not a military tradition.

 

On a ship, reveille is the call to wake up.

[txscoutdad]

John-in-KC,

Having never served in the military and not knowing, but with a son learning to play the bugle for his troop, help me out. I've gone to the web sites linked and have done some Googleing on this. Found this on the site

 

http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/appendix/buglecalls/Buglecallslist.html

 

"A military bugle call , in the category of service calls, played at dawn to awaken the troops for morning roll call. It is also used to accompany the raising of the National Colors."

 

Seems most sites talk about First Call being for the buglers and a warning to others that Reveille was about to be played.