John Philip SousaJohn Philip Sousa, “The March King,” helped musicians obtain music rights and made American history with “The Stars and Stripes” march Forever.” Most modern people don't think of Sousa, but musicians consider him a hero. Musicians can create a piece without having to worry about it being stolen or misused by other people. Sousa also requested an instrument that changed the field of marching band. Sousa was a great conductor, a great musician and an important part of music history. Sousa was born on November 6, 1854, in a small place on 636 G Street in southeast Washington, D.C., near the Marine barracks that would later influence his music. (Sousa) His father played trombone in the Marine Band. Sousa was the third of ten children of John Antonio Sousa and Maria Elisabeth Trinkhous. Young Sousa grew up around military band music, and when he was just 6 years old, he began learning a variety of instruments, such as; violin and piano. He also played the flute, cornet, baritone, trombone and alto horn. (Sousa)Sousa started in the Marine Band in a rather unusual way. Sousa, looking for adventure, ran away from home and tried to join a circus. While Sousa was trying to have fun, his father didn't see it as a smart thing to do. Sousa's father Antonio enlisted Sousa in the Marine Band, where he worked as the band's apprentice. For almost six months, Sousa remained in the group until he was twenty years old. He began writing his most popular songs after leaving the group. In addition to his musical training, Sousa studied music theory and composition, to enhance his education and help teach students, with George Felix Benkert, who was a renowned Washington orchestra... middle of paper... .w in 1932, in Washington DC. Sousa was a special guest, he got up from the table, took over from Captain Taylor Branson, the band's conductor, and led the group in "The Stars and Stripes Forever." Later that year, after leading a rehearsal of the Ringhold Band in Reading, Pennsylvania, Sousa, aged seventy-seven, died. The last song Sousa rehearsed with the band was “The Stars and Stripes Forever.” (Sousa)Sousa was not forgotten: on December 9, 1939, the new Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge over the Anacostia River in Washington, DC was dedicated to the memory of John Philip Sousa. In honor of its seventeenth conductor, in 1974 the Marine Band rededicated its historic band hall at the Marine Barracks as the "John Philip Sousa Band Hall." Overall, John Philip Sousa was a great bandleader and a superb part of music history. (Soussa)