The 56th Army Band's Brass Quintet enjoys its mission.

"It's fun; music is fun, and it's fun here," said Sgt. 1st Class Bob Lynch, the group's noncommissioned officer in charge, between warm-up exercises on his bass trombone. "It is great to be here. We love to play."

Spc. Raymond DeLeon, trumpet; Sgt. Luke Brown, tuba; Master Sgt. Jean Van Effen, French horn; and Staff Sgt. Keith Thunstedt, trumpet, round out the rest of the quintet.

While the majority of the 56th Army Band is deployed to Iraq, the quintet and other musicians have stepped up to meet the musical challenges of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord community.

"As the rear detachment of the band, we support the community; we build relationship off post," said Van Effen as she looked over a piece of music titled "The Roaring Twenties."

"We are the public relations face of the Army."

The five musicians have been playing together only since last November, and they all acknowledged the pace has been quick.

"We hit the ground running," added Lynch.

The group moved quickly through a number of songs.  "God of Our Fathers," "Scherzo," "When I am Sixty-Four" and "The Roaring Twenties" were played flawlessly.

"We're all good musicians," said Lynch.  "But just as important, we work and play very well together."

The quintet performs at holiday functions, community events and deployment/redeployment ceremonies.

Brown went on to point out that the group must be ready to perform at a moment's notice.

"The one constant is change," he said.

In addition to performing at events or spending two to three hours a day in practice, the musicians have a number of other responsibilities.

"Where other units have soldiers to accomplish extra duties like personnel and supply, we do all of that work ourselves," said Lynch.

As the practice ended, the members of the brass quintet talked for a few moments about music.

Sgt. 1st Class Bob Lynch:  The noncommissioned officer in charge of the group, Lynch is loquacious and humorous.  His interactions with his soldiers are respectful and lighthearted.

Lynch has been playing the trombone since he was in the 5th grade.

"My brothers played, and I was going to too," said the native of New York.

He holds a graduate degree in music from Boston University.

Confessing to like rock ‘n' roll and classical music, Lynch said that jazz is where his heart is.

"If I were marooned on an island, I would want a CD of Miles Davis' ‘Kind of Blue,'" said Lynch. "But I have to say it is tough to choose."

Master Sgt. Jean Van Effen: Quiet and perceptive, she has been involved with music since she was 4 years old.

"I could read music notes before I could read words," said Van Effen, a native of Michigan. "There was always music in our house."

A love of all types of music led Van Effen to learn to play the piano before picking up the French horn. She has completed graduate work in music.

When asked which CD she would take with her if marooned on an island, Van Effen said she would want Mozart's 40th Symphony to take.

"But, if I could take a stack of printed music with me, I could then look at the music and then play the music in my head," she added. "I like all kinds of music."

Sgt. Luke Brown: Lively and quick to read music, Brown is proud to be a soldier.

"We are disciplined, and we know how to work hard," said the native of North Carolina.

"Don't underestimate what soldiers who serve in the band can do."

He is not bashful about what he thinks about brass quintet.

"I knew in the first 10 seconds that I wanted to be a part of this group," said Brown.

He has been playing the tuba for the past 13 years.  He studied music at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Although he expressed no dislike about a specific type of music, Brown does like classic pop music.

When asked what CD he would take with him to that island, Brown quickly said, "‘Blood, Sweat and Tears: Live and Improvised.'"

Staff Sgt. Keith Thunstedt: Quiet and steady, he plays a powerful trumpet that helps to carry the quintet.

He studied music at the University of Washington, and he has been playing for 17 years.

"I like to listen to music on the radio, and I start to figure out how I would arrange the piece," said the native of Oregon.

Not a big fan of pop and hip-hop music, Thunstedt admits he is a huge fan of jazz.

"The first album I ever owned was one of jazz," he said.

When asked which CD he would want with him on an island, Thunstedt's answer came quickly.

"Miles Davis' ‘Birth of the Cool,'" he answered.  "There is no other."

Spc. Raymond DeLeon: The youngest and quietest member of the quintet, his ability on the trumpet perfectly complements Thunstedt's work.

"He's one very good musician," commented Lynch.

A native of the Philippines, DeLeon studied music at the University of Santo Tomas.

"I played music as a kid," comment DeLeon.  "My dad and brother played the trumpet, so it is kind of in the blood."

While saying he is not a fan of contemporary music, DeLeon pointed out that Christian music is a favorite with him.

"If I were marooned, I would want a Don Moen CD to listen to," he said.

As the brass quintet's practice ended, the soldiers filed out of the practice room to begin their additional duties. Lynch turned and said, "We are motivated and work well together as a team."