[March] A curated selection of classic marches and dazzling crowd-pleasers for concerts!
A march is a type of musical piece for marching.
In everyday settings, it’s often used as background music for parade-style processions at school sports festivals.
Originally, marches were performed for military parades and ceremonial occasions such as weddings and funerals.
When we think of marches, we often picture powerful percussion rhythms and bright, brassy melodic lines.
However, there are also pieces known as concert marches—written for performance in concert settings—that are characterized by an elegant, beautiful atmosphere.
In this article, we’ll introduce a variety of marches all at once, and we hope it will help you choose background music for processions or select repertoire for concerts.
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- Perfect for free selections and concert programs! Introducing famous and classic favorites in wind ensemble music.
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- [History] A roundup of popular set pieces from the All-Japan Band Competition
- Songs that hype up the athlete entrance at school sports festivals
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- [Brass/Wind Band] Recommended for Beginners! A Collection of Classics and Popular Pieces Perfect for Practice
- [Wind Band] Guaranteed to hype up the school festival! Recommended pieces the brass band will want to play
- [Japanese Military Songs and Marches] A collection of famous Japanese pieces deeply etched in the hearts of the Showa and wartime generations
- Recommended pieces for a wind band contest
- Top Songs to Hype Up Sports Day and Athletic Festivals [2026]
- A collection of video game music I want to perform in a wind ensemble
- [March] A selection of famous march masterpieces played on the piano!
March: Carefully selected classics of marches and dazzling pieces popular in concerts! (31–40)
Colonel BogeyKenneth Joseph Alford
Colonel Bogey, well known from the parody song “Sarugorilla Chimpanzee,” actually doesn’t use a person’s name—“bogey” is the golf term.
The piece uniquely incorporates a section meant to evoke the whistling one might do after scoring a bogey in golf.
For some reason it’s popular as a parody song not only in Japan but also in the United States; however, it’s such an elegant and grand standard march that it almost seems a waste to turn it into a parody.
If you’re looking for BGM for a sports day entrance march or a piece for a concert, definitely consider selecting this one!
Warship MarchSetoguchi Fujikichi
This is a march composed in 1900 by Tokichi Setoguchi, based on a song originally written in 1893 as a military song.
Also known affectionately as the “Warship March,” it was widely known before the war and remains one of the pieces frequently performed by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force today.
As a work derived from a military song, it features a boldly dignified melody and crisp, march-like accompaniment—plenty of highlights to enjoy.
It conveys a refined atmosphere that suits not only use as a march for events like sports days but also concert performances.
Album for the Young, Op. 68 No. 2: “Soldiers’ March”Robert Schumann
A bright, lively piece that conjures up soldiers marching in step right before your eyes! The second piece from “Album for the Young,” Soldier’s March, is built from a succession of chords and dotted rhythms.
You may find it challenging to play all the notes of each chord together evenly, but with slow, careful practice you’ll be able to catch every note solidly.
To internalize the buoyant rhythm, it’s also recommended to incorporate clapping or tapping out the rhythm into your practice!
Tokyo Olympic MarchKoseki Yūji
In October 1964, when a stately march resounded through the National Stadium, the piece composed by Yuji Koseki became a pivotal work that colored the first Olympic Games ever held in Asia.
Its elegant yet powerful brass sound and vibrant rhythm not only enlivened the athletes’ entrance but also stood as a symbol to the world of Japan’s postwar recovery.
Brimming with brightness and splendor befitting a festival of peace and youth, the work offers a melody of hope that only a composer who had lived through war could express.
It is truly a piece you’d want to use for a sports day opening ceremony or entrance parade—an elevated, dignified march perfect for highlighting children’s big moment on stage.
Young powerShinichi Takada
This is a classic sports day staple that everyone in Japan knows, created during the postwar reconstruction period.
Composed by Shinichi Takata as a sports song to enliven the National Sports Festival venues, it is notable for its bright and powerful melody.
At the second National Sports Festival held in Kanazawa in October 1947, about 4,200 sixth-grade boys and girls performed a group routine to this piece, captivating the audience.
Since then, it has been widely loved as background music for school sports days and athletic festivals across the country.
With an up-tempo beat that makes you want to run, it was also used at the opening ceremony of the 2020 Koshien High School Baseball Exchange Games.
Highly recommended if you’re looking for a march for sports days or a lively piece for group performances.
[March] Carefully Selected Classics of Marches and Brilliant Pieces Popular at Concerts! (41–50)
Festive MarchDan Ikuma
This march was composed in 1959 to celebrate the marriage of the then Crown Prince.
Although it was not performed during the wedding parade known as the Parade of the Century, it has since been played at subsequent events and used as background music on television programs, making it a piece many people are likely to have heard.
It begins with a fanfare that is both powerful and refined, followed by smooth woodwind passages and brilliant brass phrases that are beautifully crafted and evoke a sense of elegance.
RaijinJohn Philip Sousa
It’s a piece by the American composer John Philip Sousa, written in 1889.
In Japanese, it’s also known as “Raijin March” or “The Thunderer.” The title’s “thunder god” refers to Zeus from Greek mythology, who wields thunder as his weapon.
There are passages where the brass instruments depict lightning and thunder, so it might be fun to listen while trying to spot them.
It’s a relatively easy piece to perform, so it would be a good choice for a school band or wind ensemble concert.