George S. Howard
Encyclopedia
The United States Air Force Band
'The Singing Sergeants' is the official chorus of the United States Air Force. It was formed in 1945 from members of The United States Air Force Concert Band, but is now composed entirely of professional vocalists who have been appointed by audition. The Singing Sergeants have appeared before every...
between 1944 and 1963.
A native of Reamstown, Pennsylvania
Reamstown, Pennsylvania
Reamstown is a census-designated place in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,498 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, Howard became a student of Patrick Conway at the Ithaca Conservatory of Music
Ithaca College
Ithaca College is a private college located on the South Hill of Ithaca, New York. The school was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music. The college has a strong liberal arts core, but also offers several pre-professional programs and some graduate programs. The college is...
and played clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
in Conway's professional band. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in music education and taught at the Ohio Wesleyan University
Ohio Wesleyan University
Ohio Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five — a consortium of Ohio liberal arts colleges...
(where he became a member of Phi Kappa Tau
Phi Kappa Tau
Phi Kappa Tau is a U.S. national collegiate fraternity.-History:Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity was founded in the Union Literary Society Hall of Miami University's Old Main Building in Oxford, Ohio on March 17, 1906...
Fraternity), Mansfield University and later at Penn State University. In 1942, Howard was commissioned into the Army Specialist Corps, and in 1947 Howard's reputation as a conductor led to his commission as leader of the newly formed Air Force Band.
Howard was elected President of the American Bandmasters Association
American Bandmasters Association
The American Bandmasters Association was formed in 1929 by Edwin Franko Goldman to promote concert band music. Goldman sought to raise esteem for concert bands among musicians and audiences...
in 1956, and became an Honorary Life Member in 1984. He served as Honorary Life President from 1986 until his death in 1995. The John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era, known particularly for American military and patriotic marches. Because of his mastery of march composition, he is known as "The March King" or the "American March King" due to his British counterpart Kenneth J....
Foundation awards the The Colonel George S. Howard Citation of Musical Excellence for Military Concert Bands in Col. Howard's memory and the Air Force Band's annual young artists competition is named in his memory.