A Seckman High School graduate is going the extra miles, literally, to take the next step in her music career.
Kendal Blumenthal, 25, is currently in basic training at Fort Sill in Oklahoma to complete the last step of becoming a saxophone player in the Pershing’s Own U.S. Army Band.
The 2019 Seckman High graduate was working on her doctoral degree at the University of Iowa in Iowa City when she was selected to become a member of Pershing’s Own, which was formed in 1922.
In order to be a member of the band, Blumenthal had to enlist in the Army and go through basic training, where she said she will be required to complete a 2-mile run in a specific amount of time, complete a certain number of hand-release pushups, dead lift at least 120 pounds and complete a relay that involves sprints, dragging a 90-pound sled from one end and back on a 25-meter lane and carry two 40-pound kettle bells.
Her father, Jim Blumenthal, said she started basic training March 8.
“It is worth it because it will be artistically fulfilling to make music for a living with other professionals,” said Blumenthal, who was living in Racine, Wis., with her husband, Ethan Sherer, before leaving for basic training. “I will be with the best of the best in America, which is exciting.”
After completing basic training, Blumenthal said she will relocate to Washington D.C. She said Pershing’s Own primarily performs at Arlington National Cemetery, but it also performs for various government events.
The band was formed by Gen. John J. Pershing because he believed bands played a vital role in troop morale and efficiency and was convinced that America needed a premier band to surpass those of Europe, according to the band’s website, usarmyband.com.
Blumenthal’s father, Jim, said he was surprised when his daughter decided to join the military to be part of the band, and he is proud of her for becoming a member of Pershing’s Own.
“She sent a group text saying, ‘Hey, I’m down to the final three. I think I may have a chance here,’” said Jim, who is married to Sherri Blumenthal, of when Blumenthal was auditioning for the band. “I was like, ‘Oh, wow, this is happening. This is for real.’
“Then she did a group call with her mom (Robin Blackwell), me and her sister (Shelby Blumenthal). She goes, ‘It didn’t go as well as I thought.’ Then she was really quiet and said, ‘It went better than I thought. I have been selected.’ It blew me away.”
Ben Middleton, Seckman High band director, said Blumenthal’s selection to Pershing’s own is on par with making a professional sports team or symphony orchestra.
“Kendal’s resume is quite extensive and is indicative of the highest-level of practice, preparation, passion and musicality,” he said. “On a regular basis, someone from well outside my preprofessional circle will mention her or connect the dots that I was her teacher.”
Making the band
Blumenthal said she has bachelor’s degrees in music performance and jazz studies from Missouri State University, and she has a master’s degree in music and performance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She graduated from Missouri State in 2023 and earned her master’s degree at UMKC in 2025.
She said while completing her first semester in the doctoral program at Iowa, she applied to audition for the open saxophone position with Pershing’s Own. She said she sent her resume to the audition coordinator, who then sent her the audition material.
Blumenthal said musicians had a choice to record their audition and send it in or perform at a preliminary round audition in person in September.
“I took recordings of myself playing some of the audition material, and I sent it in,” she said. “This was a blind audition process from the beginning to the end. Nobody knew who I was. It wasn’t a video recording. It was just audio. They invited me to attend the live audition in the semifinal (round).”
Blumenthal said she traveled to Washington, D.C., in October, and the semifinal and final audition rounds were held on the same day. She said there were seven semifinalists, and that number was cut to three for the final round.
Blumenthal said musicians auditioned behind a curtain and could not see the about 12 people who were judging performances.
“It took me about a half-hour to get through the final round because they asked for so much music,” she said. “After that, it took them about a half-hour to discuss among themselves and decide who they wanted to interview.
“Once they decided I was the one they wanted to interview, that is when I found out if they don’t want to interview the other guys, I probably got the job.”
Blumenthal said the interview was not much different from typical interviews for a job, except for one element.
“It wasn’t intimidating besides the fact it was about a dozen people in Army uniforms staring at me,” she said.
Blumenthal said she was thrilled when she was offered the spot in Pershing’s Army.
“It feels to me that all of these years of playing the saxophone, going to school, paying for college has finally paid off,” she said. “I feel like I found a job that suits me really well, and somewhere that will benefit from my particular skill set.”
Musical journey
Blumenthal said her family was not very musical.
She said she started playing the saxophone when she was 12, mainly because of her sister who is two years older than her and started playing the flute in middle school.
“She said, ‘I am also interested in the saxophone. Why don’t you choose the saxophone, so we can have one and both play it?’’ Blumenthal said. “I said, ‘OK, whatever.’ I got the saxophone. Funny story, she never played it. It worked out for me.”
Blumenthal said her middle school teacher suggested she take private lessons after her first year in beginning band, and she started taking lessons with Middleton.
“Approximately three weeks into private lessons, it became clear that her work ethic would quickly vault her toward greatness,” Middleton said. “With each passing year, Kendal became more intent on being the best performer in any arena. I will always remember ‘seventh grade Kendal’ channeling the sound of the great Johnny Hodges on ‘Sultry Sunset’ with the middle school jazz band.”
Blumenthal earned eight selections to the Missouri All-State Band and Jazz Band, becoming the only student in the history of the state to be selected to the All-State each year in high school, according to the Fox C-6 School District.
Jim said he is surprised how far his daughter has gone as a musician.
“When Ben Middleton hit us with she needs to upgrade her saxophone, going from a beginner saxophone to a professional saxophone, I thought, ‘Man, I hope this lasts,’” he said. “The saxophone was expensive. Her mom and I split the cost of a really nice one. It was well worth the investment for sure.”