Atlantic City Pageant: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

Atlantic City Pageant deserves the recognition typically reserved for Sousa's most famous works. Arranger Loras John Schissel preserves the original's character while making it accessible to Grade 4 ensembles, and at just over two minutes, it fits naturally into concerts without requiring substantial rehearsal time. Directors seeking a march that avoids the overplayed chestnuts will find this piece strikes the right balance between familiarity (it's unmistakably Sousa) and discovery.

Crisp and purposeful, with the uncluttered elegance that defines Sousa at his best. The march unfolds with ceremonial bearing rather than bombast, its themes clear and memorable, its harmonic language confident without complexity.

Grade 4 concert bands seeking a Sousa march that challenges without overwhelming. The arrangement by Schissel opens this work to ensembles still building technical facility and confidence, making it ideal for mid-level groups building their march repertoire beyond the standard staples.

• Maintain evenness in the marchlike pulse across all sections; Sousa's harmonies depend on steady rhythmic foundation, not rubato.
• Bring out the counter-melody lines in the lower voices during the main theme; they're integral to the march's character, not accompaniment.
• Shape each phrase with a gentle swell at its midpoint rather than playing through dynamically flat; this approach preserves the march's forward motion while adding shape.
• Let the articulation breathe naturally with the phrasing rather than clipping every note short; Sousa writes for flowing lines within the march idiom.

Pair this with other American band classics to build a concert around the heritage of the American march tradition. Its two-minute length makes it an effective opener, providing energy and focus without demanding your audience's full attention before settling into the program's deeper works. Consider programming it on a spring concert alongside patriotic or outdoor concert themes, spaces where its pageant origins feel most at home.

• Sustaining steady pulse and ensemble precision in marcato figures
• Voice independence, particularly reinforcing inner melodic lines
• Phrasing within a march idiom without losing rhythmic integrity
• Balancing transparency with fullness in harmonic textures