Memorial Day: Thousands of Musicians to Participate in ‘Taps Across America’

Thousands of trumpet and bugle players, and other musicians across the nation, are invited to play “Taps” at 3:00 p.m. from wherever they are on Memorial Day to honor America’s fallen heroes.

CBS News’s Steve Hartman and retired Air Force bugler Jari Villanueva are joining forces to call upon American musicians to participate in “Taps Across America” as a way to keep the spirit of Memorial Day alive, even as traditional parades and other holiday events are cancelled due to the crisis caused by the Chinese coronavirus.

As CBS News reported, Hartman and Villanueva invite musicians from every corner of America, including music teachers and their students, to sound Taps on their front steps, porches, lawns, and driveways at 3:00 p.m. local time Monday.

“Taps” is the “national call of remembrance” and is traditionally played at American military funerals and memorial ceremonies.

“Hartman and Villanueva hope that the nationwide event will offer an opportunity to pause for a moment to pay tribute to fallen service members and victims of the coronavirus pandemic while maintaining social distancing guidelines,” the report noted.

Musicians who wish to participate in the national “Taps Across America” event are invited to video record themselves sounding Taps and to submit the video to CBS here.

CBS News states it will share some of the videos of musicians participating in “Taps Across America” on Tuesday night during the CBS Evening News.

The sheet music for “Taps” can be found here.

If Americans hear “Taps” being sounded on Memorial Day, they should stand, face the music, and place their hands over their hearts as they would for the National Anthem.

According to CBS News, Hartman’s 2012 story about Don Brittain, who sounded “Taps” on his balcony at sunset, inspired the correspondent to create an event in which other trumpet players could participate.

Similarly, Villanueva, who played for 23 years with the United States Air Force Band at Arlington National Cemetery, created Taps for Veterans, an organization that brings together live buglers and trumpet players with military families for funerals and memorial ceremonies.