What is being a 42R like? Is it difficult to reclass?

Yes and no. Reclassing can be as easy as passing an audition, or attending AIT. What do you play?

42R is an Army "Civilian Acquired Skills Designated" MOS. Passing an audition on an instrument takes some serious skill and I would go so far as to say that it's even more difficult if you play a rhythm section instrument like piano, drums/percussion, guitar, or bass guitar. (Those instruments need to know their theory backwards and forwards to a level other instruments don't to achieve basic competency in jazz.) I have advanced degrees in music and only barely made the cut, which is largely because I come from a strictly classical background as a musician, which is a good baseline but not the style for which the Army predominately uses 42R's. All that is to say that while 42R may not be the most "hooah" MOS, it's a pretty hard one to get.

You don't give info about yourself but you should already be proficient at an instrument or/and vocals. Audition information should be online. You might even want to contact a recruiter for up to date audition info. Is there a band at your current post? If so, try meeting them to discuss.

Hi there, 42R here, served from 2005 to 2011 in the 249th Army Band in the WV National Guard. At the Guard level the audition was similar to a college applicant audition for a music program. Scales, prepared piece, and sight-reading. At the active duty level the auditions may be more rigorous, and for special bands (Pershing's Own, West Point Band) even more so. I graduated AIT in 2005 so my information is probably dated, but it was informative and an excellent opportunity to learn about other branches (Army Musicians trained with Navy/Marines/Coast Guard there).

I'm not sure about reclassing specifically for Supply, but generally there's a fair amount of competition for NCO slots in bands due to us coming in at E-4 from CASP and being promotable fairly quickly. For some bands you may automatically be promoted as high as E-6. Something to discuss with your admins/recruiters.

Good luck on your journey!

Auditions will consist of music that you select, and music that you will be given approximately 24 hours to prepare. If you are truly interested it is in your best interest to contact the nearest Army Band. With the 42R MOS, each instrument is assigned its own ASI. Frequently the ASI’s have a waiting list for an opening with people on the list. Your best chance is when it comes time to reenlist and then you can use that as leverage. But in order to do that you have to have demonstrated your potential and passed an audition within a set time frame. The process is not easy or quick, but it can be done. If you truly enjoy performing music it is an extremely rewarding career. Bottom line is that your first step is to contact the nearest Army Band.