Lt. Col. Steele is just finishing her command as the head conductor of the US Army Band of Europe, a position she has held for the last several years. She is moving back to the United States in the next week; her possessions are literally shipping out tomorrow. So we feel very fortunate that our itinerary allowed us the time to work with her today.
The rehearsal today ended with Lt. Col. Steele sharing musical tips relative to Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever" march. I asked Beth, in front of the band, if she could estimate how many times she has conducted this piece during her 24 years in the service. She speculated that it would be well over 5,000 times ... which I believe makes her an expert on interpretation!
Thanks so much, Beth, for your gracious work with our students. We are grateful to you, and the United States Army, for inviting us to the base in Heidelberg today. And thank you for your service to our country for nearly two and a half decades.
