When Adm. Paul Zukunft announced at the end of last month that the Coast Guard Band will stay in New London, he also noted that the service will look for more ways to showcase the band's talents at ceremonies and events in Washington, D.C., and across the country.

At the same time the Coast Guard is working to heighten the band's national profile, there are ongoing debates in Congress about the amount of money spent on military bands.

The House of Representatives has passed measures that would require a detailed analysis of military band activities and expenses and restrict where and when bands could perform.

The Coast Guard, however, falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security and so is not impacted by the efforts in Congress, which target bands under the Department of Defense.

The Coast Guard is the only military service without a band in the Washington D.C. region, and that was the impetus for looking into a potential relocation.

"It was important to examine the various options for enhancing the band's national visibility to best serve the Coast Guard," Zukunft said in a statement after announcing the band would remain in New London.

The 55-member band has called New London and the Coast Guard Academy home since its founding in 1925.

As is true with all U.S. military bands, the Coast Guard Band performs its concerts free of charge. The band has performed all around the world and was the first American military band to perform in the former Soviet Union, according to its website.

In 2015, the Coast Guard spent $371,400 on the band; $201,400 of that was spent on travel and $170,000 on operations. The band did not hold a national tour that year but went on a short trip to Puerto Rico, Michigan and Washington, D.C.

The role of the band is to raise the visibility of the Coast Guard, and its members are "musical ambassadors," according to band director Lt. Commander Adam Williamson.

"It's a fantastic service. It's a life-saving service. We're very privileged to have the ability to bring that message to our audiences," Williamson said.

Williamson became a musician at age 8, he said, starting with cello then shifting to saxophone.

"Everything that I did involved music from that point on," Williamson said, noting that in middle school and high school he played as often as possible.

Williamson's story is not unique, he said. At least in the context of the band.

Musician 1st Class Sean Nelson decided to pursue a career in music after picking up the trombone in the sixth grade. Nelson's been in the band for five years now and sees the band as the bridge between the military and civilian worlds.

"Music is the perfect medium for that," he said.

Before and after performances, band members make a point of meeting and interacting with the audience, many of whom are frequent guests at their concerts.

The band plays about 150 performances a year, about 45 of which are performed by the full 55-member ensemble in New London, nearby communities, or on tour. The remaining performances, such as change of command ceremonies, graduations and other events, are played by one of the band's seven official small ensembles.

Getting into the band is a rigorous process. Auditions attract between 60 and 120 people depending on the instrument, and interest comes from students of some of the most prestigious musical conservatories in the country. In some cases, auditions turn up no candidates for the job.

Band members are enlisted members of the Coast Guard, and they must meet the service's physical fitness qualifications and be capable of obtaining the required security clearance. Those entering the band enlist at the rank of petty officer 1st class for a four-year enlistment.

Once in the band, members tend to stay in for a while, if not their whole careers.

"We all get to know each other really well. Certainly on stage, musically, we all are very aware of each other's musical strengths and that makes us a stronger organization," said Williamson, the band director.

Heather Doughty, who plays French horn and was recently promoted to senior chief musician, will mark her 17th year with the band later this month. Doughty grew up in New Hampshire listening to Coast Guard Band records at the behest of her father.

Her first concert with the band was its annual outdoor rendition of Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" with cannon fire on Labor Day weekend.

Doughty "remembers vividly" playing at the funerals for both Presidents Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford. The latter was particularly memorable because it was a very cold and windy day. Then there was the time in 2003 while on tour in California that the band played on the television game show "The Price is Right."

The band's next concert is Labor Day weekend at Fort Trumbull.

j.bergman@theday.com