On November 8, 1861, a U.S. navy warship stopped a British packet and seized two Confederate emissaries on their way to England to seek backing for their cause. England responded with rage, calling for a war of vengeance. The looming crisis was defused by the peace-minded Prince Albert. But imagine how Albert's absence during this critical moment might have changed everything. For lacking Albert's calm voice of reason, Britain now seizes the opportunity to attack and conquer a crippled, war-torn America. Ulysses S. Grant is poised for an attack that could smash open the South's defenses. In Washington, Abraham Lincoln sees a first glimmer of hope that this bloody war might soon end. But then disaster strikes: English troops have invaded from Canada. With most of the Northern troops withdrawn to fight the new enemy, General William Tecumseh Sherman and his weakened army stand alone against the Confederates. Can a divided, bloodied America defeat England, or will the United States cease to exist for all time?

The Stars and Stripes trilogy is the story of the war that never was, but might so easily have happened: the war of the 1860s between the United States of America and the British Empire. It began with an ill-considered seizure of a British ship, escalated with an ill-considered letter to Abraham Lincoln, and continued with an ill-starred invasion of the territory of the USA by an incensed British government. The first modern war - with iron-clad ships, rapid-firing guns, trenches, mass armies and massive casualties, was taking place, not between the industrial northern states and the agricultural southern ones, but between the two great English-speaking nations. Who happened also to be the two most powerful nations on the planet. In the stunning conclusion to this series, the Irish become involved and a most surprising ending is the culmination of the ill-fated war.

Resonances: Engaging Music in Its Cultural Context offers a fresh curriculum for the college-level music appreciation course. The musical examples are drawn from classical, popular, and folk traditions from around the globe. These examples are organized into thematic chapters, each of which explores a particular way in which human beings use music. Topics include storytelling, political expression, spirituality, dance, domestic entertainment, and more. The chapters and examples can be taught in any order, making Resonances a flexible resource that can be adapted to your teaching or learning needs. This textbook is accompanied by a complete set of PowerPoint slides, a test bank, and learning objectives.

In Habits of a Successful Band Director Scott Rush provides: A how-to book for young teachers; A supplement for college methods classes; A commonsense approach to everyday problems band directors face; Sequential models for instruction that are narrow in scope; Solutions, in the form of information and probing questions, that allow assessment of a classroom situation; Valuable information in a new format and references to other helpful publications; A contemporary text for all band directors. Some of the topics covered in the ten chapters include: classroom organization and management, working with parents and colleagues, the importance of the warm-up, rehearsal strategies, selecting high-quality literature, and student leadership. The appendices provide valuable outlines and reproducible forms such as medical releases and pitch tendency chart.

Imagines what history might have been like if Great Britain had attacked America at the height of the Civil War.

(Meredith Music Resource). The performing style that created the "Sousa Sound" and made his music pre-eminent in the golden age of bands is revealed in this thought-provoking exploration by Keith Brion, founder and conductor of his own New Sousa Band. The band was formed in 1986 for a nationally televised PBS special, The New Sousa Band on Stage at Wolf Trap . It has since toured in every section of the United States and performed overseas tours in Japan and China. Since 1980, Mr. Brion has conducted his popular "Sousa at the Symphony" concerts with nearly every American major and regional symphony orchestra, often in repeat performances. Brion's insight into the musical depth of Sousa marches will enlighten any serious reader. Includes: * Sousa'a Marches As He Conducted Them * Parts of a Sousa March * Articulations, Dynamics, Phrasing, Harmony and Counterpoint * Blend, Color, Balance and Tempo * The Importance of After-Beats and Bass Lines * Instruments and Instrumentations * Percussion in Sousa's Marches * Patterns for Conducting Marches * Background and Analysis of The Stars and Stripes Forever 2/2 * Background and Analysis of The Invincible Eagle 6/8 * A Summary of Sousa Performance Techniques * Performance Suggestions * New Sousa Band Style Sheet and Guidelines * A List of References: Books and Recordings * Facts and Misconceptions About Sousa and His Concerts

Born to poor immigrant parents, Sousa succeeded through hard work, talent, and self-motivated drive. This is the story of the man, his music, and his era.

It is a symbol of unity and a subject of controversy. It can be found in the depths of the Earth's oceans and on the rocky surface of the moon. It is our flag -- the Stars and Stripes -- a swath of red, white, and blue that represents America's past and its present ... and inspires its future. In this moving and informative volume, Richard H. Schneider, the author of the acclaimed Taps: Notes from a Nation's Heart and Freedom's Holy Light: The Statue of Liberty, delivers an intriguing history and a powerful tribute to our flag. Stars & Stripes Forever unfurls the colorful story of this enduring emblem of our national identity, culture, and spirit, from its humble origins more than two hundred years ago to its significance in the twenty-first century. Combining history and legend, fact and lore, Schneider relates how the flag has evolved -- through war and peace, through changing times and honored traditions -- and sets the record straight on many widely held misconceptions. There are many entertaining and enlightening stories, including that of the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key's "The Star-Spangled Banner"; the flag that was stained by Lincoln's blood at Ford's Theater in 1888; and the flag raised at Ground Zero amid the wreckage of the World Trade Center. In addition to historical facts and little-known lore, he offers heartfelt recollections from celebrities and ordinary citizens alike whose lives have been indelibly touched by Old Glory. Sure to speak to the patriot in us all, Stars & Stripes Forever tells a story that is as remarkable and diverse as America itself.

On Saturday, November 14, 1944, radio listeners heard an enthusiastic broadcast announcer describe something they had never heard before: Women singing the "Marines' Hymn" instead of the traditional all-male United States Marine Band. The singers were actually members of its sister organization, The Marine Corps Women's Reserve Band of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Today, few remember these all-female military bands because only a small number of their performances were broadcast or pressed to vinyl. But, as Jill Sullivan argues in Bands of Sisters: U.S. Women's Military Bands during World War II, these gaps in the historical record can hardly be treated as the measure of their success. The novelty of these bands—initially employed by the U.S. military to support bond drives—drew enough spectators for the bands to be placed on tour, raising money for the war and boosting morale. The women, once discharged at the war's end, refused to fade into post-war domesticity. Instead, the strong bond fostered by youthful enthusiasm and the rare opportunity to serve in the military while making professional caliber music would come to last some 60 years. Based on interviews with over 70 surviving band members, Bands of Sisters tells the tale of this remarkable period in the history of American women. Sullivan covers the history of these ensembles, tracing accounts such as the female music teachers who would leave their positions to become professional musicians—no easy matter for female instrumentalists of the pre-war era. Sullivan further traces how some band members would later be among the first post-war music therapists based on their experience working with medical personnel in hospitals to treat injured soldiers. The opportunities presented by military service inevitably promoted new perspectives on what women could accomplish outside of the home, resulting in a lifetime of lasting relationships that would inspire future generations of musicians.