Right Left March, John Philip Sousa

The Edina High School Concert Band, Paul Kile, Director
2024 ASBDA National Convention, Minneapolis, MN
Throughout Sousa’s career as a conductor, he often altered the performance of his marches in specific ways without marking or
changing the printed music. These alterations were designed for concert performances and included varying dynamics and omitting
certain instruments on repeated strains to expand the range of the musical textures, as well as adding unscripted percussion accents for
dramatic emphasis at key points in the music. Although Sousa never documented his performance techniques himself, several players
who worked extensively with Sousa provided directions for his frequently performed marches, most notably from cornetist Frank
Simon. Many of the marches in Volume 2 of “The Complete Marches of John Philip Sousa” were staples in Sousa’s regular concert
repertoire and were included in the “Encore Books” used by the Sousa Band. A complete set of his Encore Books resides in the U.S.
Marine Band Library and Archives and are referenced extensively by the Marine Band not only as a guide for some of Sousa’s special
performance practice, but also to ascertain the exact instrumentation he employed in his own performances of his marches.