John did some really neat things as a child! His personality showed from the very beginning. For example, our group learned that when John was a young boy, he disobeyed his mother. Mr. Sousa wanted to eat as many doughnuts as he wanted on night but his mom wouldn't let him. To protest, he stood out in the cold rain for a long time. He ended up getting very sick and had to stay in bed for over a year! That is how strong willed Mr. Sousa was!

While John was in school, he witnessed a War that changed how he felt about music. During this Civil War, John visited wounded men in the hospital with his parents and he saw many battles.

Also, Mr. Sousa almost did something crazy when he was thirteen! He was practicing his violin one evening and the leader of a Circus band heard him and asked him to join the Circus. John's father did not think that this was such a great idea and enlisted him in the Marines instead.