From Potter Elementary to the U.S. Capitol

Master Gunnery Sgt. Matthew Harding, of Dartmouth, unknowingly set out on his path to the United States Capitol when he was only a fourth grader at Potter Elementary picking up a trumpet for the first time.

What pursued was a journey that brought him through middle school, high school and the Eastman School of Music, where he attended a Marine Band concert that shaped the future of his music career.

Harding said that prior to the concert he didn’t know much about the band — one of his best friends was a “big Marine Band fan” and had “dragged” him to the concert — but afterwards he was “just blown away by the musicianship and the excellence of the group.”

“It was something I was not really familiar with,” he added.

A few years later, auditions opened up for the Marine Band and Harding sent his resume and was soon after invited to “come out and participate.”

“I was fortunate enough to win that job that day,” he said, adding it was “sort of a happy mistake that I found my way there.”

Harding said he initially thought he’d play with the Marine Band for “a little while,” envisioning himself playing instead with the Boston Symphony or the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Twenty-seven years later, Harding is still with the Marine Band, performing at the White House, state dinners and in seven presidential inauguration ceremonies, including President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday, Jan. 20.

“I think it’s just really interesting and exciting to be a part of such an interesting part of our history, seeing the peaceful transition of power from administration to administration,” Harding said.

Harding said when he’s performing at an inauguration he’s “sort of a fly on the wall” while he “provides the soundtrack for the transition of power in our country.”

“We’re just tucked in the corner there, but we’re a big part of it,” he added.

Most years, the Marine Band, which is also referred to as “The President’s Own,” performs seated on a platform that’s just below the president, but due to the inclement weather that moved the ceremony into the U.S. Capitol rotunda this year, this wasn’t possible.

This also meant, though, that Harding and the other musicians were able to play “thankfully out of the elements,” he said, explaining that when it’s 30 or 40 degrees it can be difficult to play an instrument.

The shift inside presented some other challenges, including figuring out how to achieve what the band wanted musically and artistically despite the smaller space.

“It was very crowded in the rotunda, because there were a lot of congress people and senators and everybody who deserved and was required to be a part of the event,” Harding said.

The band downsized to 23 musicians to accommodate the smaller space, which Harding said was a “much smaller” group of players than usual.

“They had to really pare it down to fit the footprint that we were accommodated,” he added.

Harding said some of the biggest challenges of performing at the inauguration are the lead up — which includes several rehearsals, recording songs to provide for the guest artists, walking through all the steps to ensure the event will run smoothly and going through security preparations — and the day’s duration, adding that in the morning of “the alarm clock goes off in the two o’clock hour.”

“At the end of the day you’re fatigued, but you’re glad to have taken part,” he said.