William P. Foster
William Patrick Foster (born August 25, 1919 in Kansas City (Missouri) , † August 28, 2010 in Tallahassee , Florida ) was an American musician, band leader and music teacher.
Foster learned the clarinet as a teenager and studied music at the University of Kansas . He earned his bachelor's degree in 1941 in Kansas and his master's degree from Wayne State University in music in 1950. In 1955, he received his doctorate in music education from the college of teachers at Columbia University and pursued a career as an orchestral conductor in schools. He formed his first band at Lincoln High School in Springfield, Missouri ; then in 1946 he went to the African American Tuskegee Institute in Alabama , where he built a school orchestra. He later led his Florida A&M Marching 100 Band in Tallahassee , which interpreted pieces such as " Alexander's Ragtime Band " and initially played mostly marching music by John Philip Sousa . One of the most famous band members is the saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley . Foster developed with her over the years a repertoire from the subjects of Afro-American popular music that integrated components of jazz and pop like James Brown . She also appeared at the Super Bowl , the inauguration celebrations of the US Presidents Clinton and Obama , as well as in the allocation of Grammy Awards on the Olympics and on national television. Foster also wrote two autobiographical works, The Man Behind the Baton and Band Pageantry: A Guide for the Marching Band . He ended his career as head of the Florida A&M Band in 1998.
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Foster, William P. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Foster, William Patrick (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American musician, band leader and music educator |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 25, 1919 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Kansas City (Missouri) |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 28, 2010 |
| Place of death | Tallahassee |