John Philip Sousa is primarily known around the world for his march compositions. He was even given the nickname “The March King” by a British band journal. Compositions such as The Stars and Stripes Forever, The Washington Post March, and The Liberty Bell are still considered staples of the American wind band repertoire. What is not as well known is that Sousa was one of the most important musical figures in American history. He was responsible for bringing classical music to many Americans who had never been exposed to it before. At the turn of the nineteenth century, live entertainment was immensely popular. There were no television, radio, or movies. Even the phonograph was in its very primitive state, and was not found in the average home. Due to the lack of means to travel greater distances, most Americans stayed close to home. For these reasons, the only way to experience music was through live performances. Through numerous national and international tours, the Sousa Band was able to bring music to the people, and that helped change the international opinion that American music was inferior and not to be taken seriously. Sousa’s own band was without question the most popular and respected American classical music ensemble of its time. My interest in this topic stems from Sousa’s unique programming for his band’s concerts. Since Sousa was one of the first Americans to utilize a civilian concert band, his programming did not need to follow any sort of pre-existing parameters. I plan to study archived programs of the band’s 39-year history and determine a formula that can in turn be utilized for programming a solo trombone recital. John Philip Sousa was primarily concerned with providing music that all types of audience members would enjoy. He was, in other words, “a man of the people.” Through combining classical European masterpieces, popular American songs of the day, Sousa’s own personal compositions, in addition to utilizing a variety of virtuosic soloists, this unique programming combination was the primary factor for the band’s continued global success over 39 years. Appendix I contains the recital program that this manuscript accompanies. Appendix II contains a list of additional pieces that could be utilized for a Sousa Band Concert Reimagined as a Solo Trombone Recital. Not all of these works were necessarily performed by the Sousa Band but all of them were written during the time of the Sousa Band, and each one falls into one of the four programming categories discussed later in more detail.