The bugle has called soldiers and scouts to wake up, eat, and gather for generations. This badge teaches you to play the classic calls and to serve your troop as bugler. It takes practice, but hearing your call echo across camp is a great feeling.
Why it's worth it
A bugle has no valves, so every note comes from your lips and your breath, and that's what makes a clean call so satisfying. As troop bugler you'll be the sound that wakes the camp, calls everyone to flags, and closes the day with Taps. Buglers are honored at Memorial Day services and military funerals, and the breath control and discipline you build carries straight into band, choir, or any brass instrument you pick up next.
Start this week
- Find out whether your troop, school band, or a family friend has a bugle or a valveless trumpet you could borrow.
- Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of a Bugling counselor, and send them a short message with a parent copied to set up a first meeting.
- Buzz your lips for one minute a day this week, first without the mouthpiece and then into it, to start building your embouchure.
- Listen to recordings of Reveille, Assembly, and Taps and hum along until you know how each one goes.
Plan ahead: Requirement 6 takes three months of serving as troop bugler. Talk with your Scoutmaster about starting it as soon as you can sound a few calls, and keep learning the rest during those months.
Requirements · 6
Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab).
Note: You may use a bugle, trumpet, or cornet for these requirements.
- Requirement 1
Give a short history of the bugle
Tip: Look up how the bugle developed and where it has been used, such as in the military and in Scouting.
For example: A short history might cover how hunting horns became signal horns, how armies used bugle calls to send orders across noisy battlefields, and how Taps was adapted during the Civil War. End with how bugles came into Scouting at camps and ceremonies.
- Requirement 2
How the bugle works and your own call
Tips for this section: Practice buzzing your lips into the mouthpiece to feel how sound starts. Try writing a short call using the notes you can play.
Example for this section: Explain that your buzzing lips start the air vibrating and the tube makes it louder; tightening your lips and speeding the air moves you up to higher notes. For your own call, try a four-bar "Patrol Leaders Meet" call using just three notes you can play cleanly.
- Requirement 2a
Explain and show how a bugle produces sound, and explain how it's related to other brass wind instruments
- Requirement 2b
Write a bugle call your troop or patrol can use for a common group activity (like gathering for a meal or breaking camp), and play it for your unit or patrol
- Requirement 3
Play 10 calls from this list: Assembly, Call to Quarters, Church, Drill, Fatigue, Fire, First Call, Mess, Officers, Recall, Retreat, Reveille, Swimming, Taps, and To the Colors
Tip: Learn one call at a time. Short, daily practice works better than long sessions once a week.
- Requirement 4
Explain when each call from requirement 3 is used
Tip: Make a chart of each call and when it's used, and quiz yourself with a friend.
For example: Make a chart of the camp day: First Call before Reveille, Reveille to wake, Mess Call for meals, Assembly to gather, To the Colors and Retreat for flag raising and lowering, Call to Quarters before lights out, and Taps at day's end.
- Requirement 5
Explain how to take care of, clean, and maintain a bugle
Tip: Ask a band teacher to show you how to clean and care for a brass instrument.
- Requirement 6
Be your troop's bugler for 3 months
Tip: Work with your Scoutmaster to plan when you'll sound calls at meetings and campouts during your three months.
For example: Plan your three months with your Scoutmaster: sound To the Colors at the start of each meeting, Assembly to call patrols together, and a full day of calls on one or two campouts. Keep a log of dates and calls.
Places to visit
Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.
A Memorial Day or Veterans Day ceremony
Hearing Taps sounded live at a ceremony shows you why getting each note right matters so much.
How: Go with your family or troop. Check with a local veterans post or your town's website for the schedule.
A school or community band rehearsal
Brass players can show you warm-ups, breathing exercises, and how they care for their instruments.
How: Have an adult ask the band director whether a Scout could sit in and observe a rehearsal or ask a few questions afterward.
Where it can lead
- Military bugler or bandsmanEach branch of the military has bands that perform at ceremonies and events.
- Music teacher or band directorTeaches students to play instruments and leads school ensembles.
- Professional brass musicianPlays trumpet or horn in orchestras, bands, and recording sessions.
- Brass instrument repair technicianFixes dents, valves, and leaks; often learned through a specialized trade program.
Ask yourself
- What drew you to the bugle, and what call do you most want to play well?
- Which call has the trickiest notes for you, and how are you practicing it?
- How does it feel to play in front of your troop compared with practicing alone?
- What did serving as bugler teach you about being someone people count on?
- Where else could you share your music after this badge, like a Memorial Day service or a band?
Good questions to ask a band teacher or experienced bugler
- How do you keep your lips from getting tired during a long day of calls?
- What's the best way to hit high notes without straining?
- How do you stay steady when you play Taps at a ceremony where people are emotional?
- What daily routine would help me improve fastest?
- How do you clean and store a brass instrument so it lasts?
Helpful reads
- Earning a merit badge, step by step, From picking a badge to getting the final signature: how to find a counselor, set up meetings safely, work the requirements, and keep your progress., Youth · Families · 6 min read
- Contacting counselors, experts, and organizations, Email and phone scripts, who to ask for, how to follow up, and how to say thanks, with a parent copied every time., Youth · Families · 7 min read
- Choosing your next merit badge, How to pick a badge you'll actually finish: start with what you care about, balance Eagle-required and just-for-fun badges, and make the most of camp., Youth · Families · 6 min read
For leaders & parents
- Give the scout regular chances to play at meetings and campouts.
- Connect the scout with a school band teacher or brass player for coaching.
People & places that can help
- Merit badge counselor — Talk with them early; they can explain what's expected.
- School band teacher — Help with technique, practice, and instrument care.
- Scoutmaster — Can help you plan your service as troop bugler.
- Bugles Across America (opens in a new tab) — Volunteer buglers who sound Taps at veterans' funerals, and the history of the call.
- The U.S. Army Band "Pershing's Own" (opens in a new tab) — Performances and stories from one of the military's premier bands, including its buglers.
- Arlington National Cemetery (opens in a new tab) — Learn about the military honors and ceremonies held there, where Taps is sounded for fallen service members.
Pairs well with
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Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.