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The Colonel George S. Howard
Citation of Musical Excellence
For
Military Concert Bands
A Prestigious
International Award
Recognizing
Military Concert Bands
Administered By
The John Philip Sousa Foundation
Purpose
To
identify and recognize active duty and reserve military concert bands that
have demonstrated particularly significant high standards of musical
excellence in concert performances under the current conductor.
Eligibility
Criteria
The band must be an active
duty or reserve military concert band.
The band must perform standard concert band literature.
The band's instrumentation must be suitable for the literature performed.
Bands are eligible for an additional award after a new director assumes
leadership or after three years since a previous award under the same
director.
All foreign military concert bands are eligible.
Application
Procedure
Military band directors
send an application letter directly to the committee chair with the following
materials:
1. Concert programs of
recent concerts directed by the current conductor.
2. Current
studio/concert recordings (CD) if available.
3. One DVD with three works from recent concert performances directed by
the current conductor.
a. The first selection is to be
a major concert band composition from the standard repertoire with the
camera positioned at the back of the stage focused on the conductor.
b. The second piece is to be a standard concert band piece with the camera
positioned in the audience to show the entire band.
c. The third selection is to be a Sousa march with the camera positioned in
either place.
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Send
nomination materials to
Colonel Lowell Graham, Department Chair
University of Texas at El Paso
Fox Fine Arts Building Room 301
500 W.University Avenue
El Paso, Texas 79968-0552
legraham@utep.edu
Questions may be directed
telephonically to 915-747-5606
Selection and Award
Process
The selection committee
normally meets twice annually to evaluate application materials, which are
held in conjunction with the Texas Bandmasters Convention in San Antonio and
the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago. Submission
deadlines are 1 July and 1 December, respectively. If selected, the award
will be sent to the band director's commanding officer or other appropriate
official for presentation. If not selected, committee suggestions will be
communicated directly to the band director for use in program strengthening
for a future consideration.
Committee Members
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Colonel Lowell E. Graham (ret.)
Conductor Emeritus
U.S. Air Force Band
Chairman, Dept. of Music, University of Texas El Paso
Chairman of the Committee
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Colonel Thomas Rotondi, Jr.
Director, U.S. Army Band
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Colonel Thomas H. Palmatier
Director, U.S. Army Field Band
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Colonel H. Bruce Gilkes
USAF Retired
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Colonel Gary Lamb
USA Retired
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Colonel Bryan Shelburne
USA Retired
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Lt. Colonel Alan Siericks
Conductor, U.S. Air Force Band
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Lt. Colonel Alan Bonner
USAF Retired
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Administration
The
award is administered by The John Philip Sousa Foundation and implemented by
its Executive Committee.
Colonel George S.
Howard, USAF Retired
(1902 -
1995)
Colonel George S.
Howard, United States Air Force retired, was primarily known for his
contributions to the military band program. During the nineteen and one-half
years that he was commander and conductor of the United States Air Force Band
and Symphony Orchestra, he raised those organizations to international
prominence. He is credited with organizing the idea of using music as an
international language to create better understanding between America and
nations of the world. He took the USAF Band and Orchestra on ten
international tours, performing major concerts in fifty countries on five
continents. He founded the Singing Sergeants, the Airmen of Note, the USAF
Drum and Bugle Corps, the USAF Bagpipe Band, the WAF Band, and the Strolling
Strings.
As Chief of Bands and
Music for the Air Force, he established the USAF Bandsman School and became
its first commandant. He controlled the musical destinies of more than two
thousand bandsmen and set the standards for eighty-three Air Force bands. He
established a career field for commissioned officers as directors of Air
Force bands. This policy and ladder of progression is in effect today.
He was born in Reamstown, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the Conway
Military Band School, Ithaca Conservatory, Ohio Wasleyan
University, New York University and the Chicago Conservatory, earning the
following degrees: AB, AM, B. Mus, and Mus.
D. In 1985, he received an Honorary Doctor of Music Degree from
Ithaca College and in 1986 he was elected Honorary Life President of the
prestigious American Bandmasters Association
Prior to entering the
military, he was director of the Band, Orchestra and Chorus School an Penn State University. Colonel Howard has established
the Citation of Musical Excellence award to encourage professional growth and
excellence in military concert bands.
Colonel Howard passed
away on September 18, 1995.
Recipients and
Conductors
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United
States Marine Band
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Washington
DC
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Colonel John Bourgeois (1988)
Lt. Colonel Michael J. Colburn (2005)
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United
States Army Band
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Washington
DC
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Colonel Eugene Allen (1988)
Colonel Bryan Shelburne (1992)
Colonel Gary Lamb (2000)
Colonel Thomas Rotondi Jr.
(2005)
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United
States Air Force Band
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Washington
DC
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Lt. Col Michael Bankhead (1988)
Lt. Col Alan Bonner (1992)
Colonel Lowell Graham (1995)
Colonel Dennis Layendecker
(2002)
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United
States Coast Guard Band
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New
London, CT
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Commander Lewis Buckley (1988)
Lieutenant Kenneth W. Megan (2005)
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United
States Army Field Band
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Washington
DC
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Colonel William Clark (1989)
Colonel Jack Grogan (1992)
Colonel Finley Hamilton (2000)
Colonel Thomas H. Palmatier
(2007)
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United
States Navy Band
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Washington
DC
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Commander Philip Field (1991)
Commander Joseph Phillips (1992)
Lt. Commander John Pastin
(1995)
Commander Ralph Gambone
( 2000)
Captain George N. Thompson, Jr. USN (2007)
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United
States Military Academy Band
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West
Point, NY
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Lt. Colonel Bryan Shelburne (1989)
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Lt. Colonel Timothy J. Holtan (2009)
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USAF
Heritage of America Band
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Langley
AFB, VA
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Lt. Colonel Lowell Graham (1988, 1991, 1994)
Lt. Colonel Douglas Monroe (2008)
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USAF
Band of the Golden West
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Travis
AFB, CA
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Lt. Col Roger Sebby (1988)
Captain Philip Chevallard
(1991)
Major Douglas Monroe (2004)
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Central
Band of the Royal Air Force
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United
Kingdom
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Wing Commander Eric Banks (1989)
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USAF
Band of the West
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Lackland AFB, TX
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Colonel Benny Knudsen (1989)
Major Daniel Schmidt (1991)
Captain Steven Grimo
(1992)
Captain Gina Stuchbury
(1999)
Major Dean L. Zarmbinski
(2007)
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USAF
Heartland of America Band
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Offutt
AFB, NE
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Major Alan Bonner (1989)
Lt. Colonel Craig Jessop (1991)
Major Mark Peterson (1996)
Major Kelly Bledsoe (2000)
Captain Michael J. Willen
(2009)
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Army
Ground Forces Band
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Fort
McPherson, GA
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Lt. Colonel Michael Pyatt
(1990)
Lt. Colonel Ben DuBose (1996)
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43rd
Army National Guard Band
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Lincoln,
NE
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CW05 Jeffrey M. Klintberg
(1991, 1997, 2001)
CW02 Brain L. Anderson (2007)
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U.S.
Naval Academy Band
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Annapolis,
MD
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Commander Michael Burch-Presses (1992)
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Japan
Air Self-Defense Force Band
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Tachikawa, Japan
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Lt. Colonel Jun Shindo
(1992)
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Japan
Ground Self Defense Force Central Band
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Colonel Akira Takeda (2009)
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Air
Force Band of Flight
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Wright-Patterson
AFB, OH
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Lt. Colonel Richard Shelton (1992)
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Air
Force Band of the Rockies
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Colorado
Springs, CO
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Lt. Colonel Bruce Gilkes (1993)
Major Philip Chevallard
(2000)
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United
States Air Forces in Europe Band
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Germany
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Lt. Colonel Roger Sebby
(1993)
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561st
Air Force National Guard Band
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Hayward
ANG Station, CA
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Major Gary Wulbern (1994)
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Third
Marine Aircraft Wing Band
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MCAS
El Toro, CA
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CWO3 Roxanne M. Haskill (1994)
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Parris
Island Marine Band
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MCRD
Parris Island, SC
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WO Robert C. Jacob III (1994)
CWO2 Joshua A. Stone (2009)
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USAF
Reserve
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Robins
AFB, GA
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Captain Kelly Bledsoe (1994)
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Navy
Band Charleston
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Naval
Base Charleston, SC
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Lieutenant Jon J. Miller (1994)
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US
Continental Army Band
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Fort
Jackson, SC
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Major Thomas Rotondi, Jr.
(1994)
Major Thomas Palmatier (1997)
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282nd
Army Band
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Fort
Jackson, SC
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CWO2 Bruce B. Smith (1995)
CW03 Matthew C. Morse (2007)
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Band
of the Norwegian Armed Forces
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Norway
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Lt. Colonel Christer Johannesen (1996)
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Orkiesta Koncertowa Wojska Polskiego
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Poland
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Grzegorz Mielimaka, Artistic Director
and Conductor (1999)
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Air
Force Academy Band
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Colorado
Springs, CO
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Lt. Colonel Bruce Gilkes
(1993)
Colonel Bruce Gilkes (1997)
Major Philip Chevallard
(2000)
Lt. Colonel Larry Lang (2008)
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United
States Army Europe, Band and Chorus
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Germany
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Lt. Colonel Thomas Rotondi, Jr. (2000)
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USAFE
Band
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Germany
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Lt. Colonel Roger Sebby
(1993)
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34th
Infantry Deivision "Red Bull" National
Band
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Rosemount,
MN
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CW02 Trygve
R. Skaar (2007)
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1st
Marine Division Band
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Camp
Pendleton, CA
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CW02 Joshua A. Stone (2007)
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USAF
Band of Mid-America
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Captain Donald E. Schofield, Jr.
(2007)
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147th
Army Guard Band
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Mitchell,
SD
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CW02 Terry Beckler
(2006)
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312th
Army Reserve Band from Lawrence
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Lawrence,
KS
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CW03 Robert N. Claggett
(2006)
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36
Infantry Division Band
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Austin,
TX
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CWO1 Jeffrey Lightsey
(2008)
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