An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


News

Sign up for the Marine Band newsletter HERE.

Photo Information

When it comes to the historical knowledge and performance of marches, the United States Marine Band is your prime resource, especially for marches written by John Philip Sousa. From February 26-March 28, “The President’s Own” will host “Sousa’s March Mania,” a tournament pitting 32 marches against each other for the Marine Band online community to determine which one is the favorite. Every day through March 28, marches will compete head to head while our friends and fans vote which marches advance in the tournament. You can visit the Marine Band website to listen to the competing marches, download a tournament bracket, and vote for your favorites. The champion march will be announced on March 29. At the end of the competition, anyone with the winning march on their bracket, completed prior to the first match, will be dubbed an honorary "March King" for a day!

Photo by Gunnery Sgt. Brian Rust

March Mania First Round Recap

12 Mar 2018 | Gunnery Sgt. Brian Rust United States Marine Band

As the first round of Sousa’s March Mania 2018 nears an end, here is a recap of the competition so far. The first four matches featured the competition’s four previous winners each moving on to the next round of Sousa’s Sixteen. While “Stars and Stripes,” “Valdres,” and “Entry March of the Boyares” each easily won their matches, the 2017 winner Athletic Festival March eked out a win against John Philip Sousa’s relatively unknown, but underdog favorite march, “Right-Left.” The lesser known march has become fairly popular and almost pulled off a big upset, but just couldn’t finish.

This year’s competition featured four marches by composer John Williams: Midway March, Raider’s March, March of the Resistance, and March from 1941. The first three Williams marches handily won their matches moving on to the next round. However, while March from 1941 battled mightily, it just couldn’t beat E.E. Bagley’s very popular “National Emblem.” Other matches saw Sousa’s popular marches “The Liberty Bell” and “Semper Fidelis” advancing, while the March King’s “El Capitan” and Mikado March each lost significantly to Samuel Barber’s “Commando March” and Julius Fucik’s “Entry of the Gladiators,” respectively. In the battle of the presidents, former Marine Band director William H. Santelmann’s Thomas Jefferson March showed no mercy to William H. Woodin’s Franklin D. Roosevelt March, defeating it by more than double. Finally, Louis Saverino’s March of the Women Marines just couldn’t muster up enough votes to conquer Charles S. Belsterling’s March of the Steelmen.

The first round still has two more matches to complete and then it’s on to the round of Sousa’s Sixteen where previous champions can have the opportunity to prove dominant again and underdogs can come from behind to surprise everyone and bust some brackets. After all, it’s “March Mania” and the fun is just beginning!

“Sousa’s March Mania” will continue with new matches every day through March 28. Participants can visit the Marine Band website to listen to the competing marches, download and print a tournament bracket, and vote for favorites. Participants are also invited to share completed brackets with the Marine Band via Facebook, Twitter, or marineband.communication@usmc.mil.

At the end of the tournament, anyone with the winning march on their bracket will be named a “March King” for a day!

Vote now!

 

Download a bracket

 

March Mania 2018 Playlist