John Philip Sousa and the Milwaukee Police Band
The Milwaukee Journal reported on October 8, 1922 that, "John Philip Sousa has taken upon himself the role of sponsor for the Milwaukee Police Band. He wants it to be recognized as the greatest band of any police department in the country. Though members of the police band considered it a remarkable honor to play under the baton of Sousa, together with his own organization, the 'March King' sent on assurances that he held in high esteem the courtesy extended him by this offer of the local police officers."
The article went on to say, "Members of the police band had long aspired to that point of perfection where their efforts would be compared with those of Sousa's, but they little dreamed that they would be so soon playing side by side with the highly trained Sousa musicians and under the direction of the celebrated bandmaster, John Philip Sousa himself. Now they would experience a new thrill of knowing just how it felt when Sousa leads the band."
For over the past 50 years the Milwaukee Police Band has been performing an annual concert in the fall and now in the winter that is a free concert for members of our community. It has been tradition for this concert to open the program with the Star Spangled Banner and to close the concert with the Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa.
