In Performance: Walter Howard Loving and the Philippine Constabulary Band

Walter Howard Loving was an American soldier and the first African-American military band director during the American period in the Philippines. He was responsible for organizing the Philippine Constabulary Band upon the recommendation of Governor-General William Howard Taft.

Although his band was composed of Filipinos, not blacks in black regiments, Loving and the band demonstrated the outstanding musical abilities of Filipinos in the United States. Their exceptional performances at the St. Louis Expositon (1904), the Panama-Pacific Exposition (1915), and the Goden Gate Exposition (1930) amazed their American audiences and won accolades from international reviewers. They played before the emperor of Japan and led William Howard Taft to his inauguration as the President of the United States. Loving, the son of a former slave, overcame the prejudice against blacks during his era, winning the support of American and Philippine authorities with his multiple abilities. His dreams came true, in part, because he wond the admiration and allegiance of Filipino band members who praised his leadership.

Published in 2013 by National Historical Commission of the Philippines

181 pages