Introducing school bands to the non-march works of John Philip Sousa: Contemporary performance edition and conductor's guide for the fantasy When My Dreams Come True

The purpose of this study is to make a modern edition of John Philip Sousa's 1929 fantasy for band When My Dreams Come True. A supplementary part of the project will be to provide a conductor's/teacher's guide designed to help make the music more accessible for high school bands.

Sousa wrote music in many different genres. While most school musicians and teachers are familiar with a few of his 135 marches, very few are acquainted with his works in other varieties, such as suites, overtures, descriptive music, incidental music, humoresques, and fantasies.

In The Works of John Philip Sousa, Paul Bierley states that the fantasies "represent a minor art form which is typically American and distinctively Sousa's. For these reasons, they are among his most important works." (133) Only two fantasies are available in modern edition for bands to play. This project aims to provide a Sousa fantasy for the school band literature.