Fantasy on a Theme by Sousa was commissioned by the Cedar Rapids (IA) Jefferson High School Band Parents Association in honor of the career of former Director of Bands Earle Dickinson. It was premiered at Jefferson High School on March 17, 2003 by the Jefferson Wind Symphony, Thad Driskell, conductor.

As one of hundreds of alumni of the Jefferson Band program under Earle Dickinson, I was enormously entered honored to be given the opportunity to compose a work in his honor. The course of my life was affected greatly by this wonderful person and, although he would be hesitant to admit it, the same is true of many who have passed through the “Band of Blue.” I am very proud of my alma mater and the degree to which the band has developed since my time in the 1980s.

How then to write a piece that would appropriately pay tribute to Mr. D? I asked Thad Driskell and Andy Houk (present directors), and even Mr. D himself, for their opinions. I wanted to write something that Mr. D would like and so I asked him what pieces he had enjoyed the most throughout his career. One of the things he mentioned was his recent interest in the music of John Philip Sousa. This prompted me to think of my favorite Sousa march, The Fairest of the Fair, written in 1908. I decided that a composition based on that theme might be able to incorporate many of the things Mr. D loves most.

The resultant piece includes additional tributes to Mr. D: much of the material is presented by Mr. D’s instrument, the trombone; there are quotations from the beginning of Jefferson High School’s Alma Mater; and there are also two instances where repeated notes ring in the chimes twenty-two times, representing the twenty-two years in which Mr. D served as Director of Bands.

It is my sincere hope that this piece in some way can represent the emotions of gratitude felt by so many of us toward Mr. D. above all else, I hope he likes it!