Staff Sergeant Carl Stanley was raised in a musical household in California, and has seen his trumpet career take him around the globe. After completing his Bachelor of Arts in music in 2008 at California State University, East Bay, Staff Sgt. Stanley won a position with the United States Air Force Heritage of America Band in Hampton, Virginia.
In his four years as trumpet in the Concert Band and a member of the Heritage Brass Quintet, Staff Sgt. Stanley toured throughout the United States, performing in concerts, recitals, ceremonies, professional sporting events, competitions, and conventions as an Airman Musician. Deploying to the Middle East, Staff Sgt. Stanley was also able to perform in the AFCENT Band, which utilized music as a partnership-building tool to better U.S. relations with war-torn regions. Staff Sgt. Stanley left the Air Force in 2013 to complete his Master of Music degree at the Yale School of Music. Upon graduating in May of 2015, he transitioned into the U.S. Army as a member of the West Point Band.
