Is it possible to get promoted this quickly in the Air Force? Is this typical for band members?

Sgt Curl, you know not of what you speak. All the "premier" service bands work the same way. So before we start talking about who should get a "lack of respect" maybe we should know what we're talking about......

OK. C'mon MSgt. there's so much "non-info" in this thread you guys could work for ISIS. First of all....there's nobody in the band under the age of 20 wearing E-6. I challenge anyone to name one. This unit is the most educated unit in the USAF (and probably the entire military....save the other service's bands). 98% of them have at least a Bachelor's degree....so...how does one get a BA before they're 20 years old? (the other 2% (about 3 people) are "child prodigies" that have spent years in national-level orchestras perfecting their skills before ever getting to audition for this job). approximatly 60% of them have master degrees and somewhere in the 20% have Doctorates in music. So please....at least talk facts.....this isn't facebook.....and why would anyone here want to bash fellow service members anyway? It's not the band's fault the services set up this structure for them to join.....If you're jealous of a rank structure, join the band.

CPT (Join to see), it is the same stripes as a regular TSgt. It isnt like the Marine one where the crossed rifles are replaced with a lyre.

Cpl Robert Masi, why do you say Female? It has nothing to do with her gender? It is all about the AFSC (MOS).

Really? None of us are strangers to female preference of promoting women without merit? More recently, there has been an enormous push to recruit females ONLY. Let's stop pretending we don't know what is going on.

are there 19 yr old male E-6's?

Yes, yes there are. OK. I'll repost most of what I said elsewhere here too. C'mon Cpl, you don't know what you're talking about. there's so much "non-info" in this thread you guys could work for ISIS. ALL service Bands are set up this way.....(yes, including the Army's and Navy's premier DC bands) This unit is the most educated unit in the USAF (and probably the entire military....save the other service's bands). 98% of them have at least a Bachelor's degree....so...how does one get a BA before they're 20 years old? (the other 2% (about 3 people) are "child prodigies" that have spent years in national-level orchestras perfecting their skills before ever getting to audition for this job). Approximately 60% of them have master degrees and somewhere in the 20% have Doctorates in music. Just like the Army's (TWO) DC bands, and the Navy's band. So please....at least talk facts.....this isn't facebook.....and why would anyone here want to bash fellow service members anyway? It's not the band's fault the services set up this structure for them to join.....If you're jealous of a rank structure, join the band.

CPT (Join to see), they do a grade determination board. From the promotions AFI, chapter 5:

5.14.4. GPR Objective. The GPR will be based on the whole person concept. As a
minimum, the Promotion Propriety Review Board should consider the following factors:
5.14.4.1. Has the member received the proper training to serve in the new career field at
the rank which they presently hold?
5.14.4.2. Does the member have the kinds of duty experiences at the grade level
commensurate with the new career field position?
5.14.4.3. Has the member demonstrated the leadership and management skills required
in the new career field?
5.14.4.4. Has the member achieved the average TIS and TIG, both in the new career
field and in the Air Force at large, to avoid creating an unfair promotion competition
advantage over their new career field peers? Note: Members being assigned to a new
career field will not retain any grade for which they do not meet the minimum Air Force
TIS requirements in Table 2.1, or be given DOR earlier than possible under those TIS
requirements.
5.14.5. GPR Board Recommendations. The Promotion Propriety Review Board may make
any of the following recommendations:


5.14.5.1. Allow the member to retain their current rank and time in grade.
5.14.5.2. Allow the member to retain their current rank, but have their DOR adjusted in
accordance with determinations made with respect to paragraph 5.14.4 Note: A
member’s downward-adjusted DOR may extend to any period including present date of
rank.
5.14.5.3. Demote to a rank and DOR commensurate to members with similar TIS in the
new career field or the Air Force at large. The DOR for the grade to which demoted may
be either the average date of rank held by other Airmen in that grade in the new career
field or the DOR actually held if previously promoted to the grade under other Air Force
promotion systems. Note: A member cannot be demoted below a grade previously
earned under the Air Force promotion system governing the gaining career field

TSgt Joshua Copeland Thanks for your reply. Keeping the regulations in that AFI in mind, I don't really see a problem.

CPT (Join to see) , I too am glad that they have it covered so it isn't a back door way to speed promote.

Well, the way "it works" pretty much flies in the face of everything military. So you think TSgt stripes right out of Basic is legit? You see no ethical issue there at all? You think it's fine for these fraudsters to be wearing NCO stripes when they so clearly aren't NCOs? You think it's fine for TSgt stripes, which everyone else has to work hard for, to be given away as a cheap bonus? Tell me, exactly how much do you think these amateurs would be making out in the real world? You can include tips.

A. There’s a reason nobody knows who Glenn Miller is. And thank you for assuming I don’t know who he is, you’re right, and I’ll take that as a compliment.

B. “Because we’ve always done it this way” is the dumbest excuse to do something in the Air Force.

C. “Because everyone else is doing it” is the second dumbest excuse to do something in the Air Force.

D. Giving someone extra rank as a pay incentive alone is of course, fraud.

E. Your condescending personal remarks towards me are cute.

F. Given that there are over six hundred (and counting) Airmen assigned to bands and direct support of bands while critical mission essential positions go unfilled – this most certainly does affect other AFSCs.

G. “Some pretty serious musicians would kill for the kind of talent we have in our bands.” Names please.

H. I find your claim that military band members could “easily compete” for jobs in the big five somewhat suspect. Seriously though, how many former military band members are currently in the big five? (I’m actually being serious there; it would lend some credibility to the pay incentive argument, which is currently without a shred of credibility)

I. RE: Tips; that’s a highly subjective claim to make for “all” musicians and music lovers worldwide.

J. I am most certainly not jealous of any band members. LOL

K. Your condescending personal remarks towards me are still cute.

L. Ok, I’ll study for promotion, but only if you go study some ethics.

A. Why do you insist on assuming that because I’m young, that I’m naive?
B. “Because we’ve always done it that way” was one of your supporting arguments. Additionally, you contradicted yourself, please clarify this remark as it regards my original statement.
C. Your dodge is weak, at best. My original point still stands.
D. Step promotions are based on merit, not auditions or talent shows. Additionally, just because you put a fraudulent policy in writing does not mean it ceases to be a fraud.
E. Man, that one was weak. Indignation is probably not the right word, but whatever.
F. I fully understand rank structure and how it applies, or rather doesn’t, to the band. Yes, you can’t come into the band lower than an E-6, and therein lies the unethical fraud, special treatment, a lie, call it whatever you want, it is wrong. Airmen being presented as experienced NCOs, which they clearly are not, is fraudulent misrepresentation.
G. Again, don’t dodge. Names, examples, something other than just your word please.
H. Again, don’t dodge, Names, specific examples, something other that just your word please.
I. You made a claim, I challenged it, please respond to original claim with specifics.
J. No really, I’m not jealous of any band member. I happen to have a very low opinion of them and their chain of command right now.
K. LOL
L. Not sure where that second sentence in the first paragraph was going, but ok. Either way, this is a total ethics fail.
I have zero interest of being Chief of anything in today’s current Air Force.
Ok, exactly what significance does President Obama find in the AF Band? I think its safe to assume the AF Band is the least of his military concerns right now. LOL
Yes, it is unfair to all the other NCOs that had to earn their rank IAW AF Standards. Furthermore, exactly, they don’t have leadership or supervisory responsibilities, which makes them frauds as NCOs, period. No other way to spin that sister.
Your attempt at not sounding condescending failed miserably.
Exactly what change did you bring to the Air Force, please be specific, I’m dying to hear this one.

What that's she' so good she can loose a competition? Hell I can go and loose on American Idol and I suck.

She didn't lose, that's what I meant by what I said. I don't know how she was doing in the competition because I don't watch TV really but to my understanding she specifically bowed out of the competition to join which tells me she was probably doing fairly well.

She's 19. I highly doubt she has a Masters or a Doctorate.

SrA (Join to see) - If you look at what I said, I said that the people who Usually end up in this band have Masters and Doctorate degrees. It also goes off of the audition so she must of auditioned good enough to make E-6.