Sensei March (Grade 4)

Sensei March is a concert march composed using a style of various cultures such as Thailand Northern East Music (Esan), Thai joyful dance music, Japanese scale, and also the Japanese concert march (which influenced by European marches). The composer dedicated this piece to Mr. Apivut Minalai, the band director of Suranaree Girls Wind Symphony from Suranari Wittaya School, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, and quoted different musical materials that related to both the band director and the school, for example, Nakhon Ratchasima March, Auld Lang Syne, Theme from Thai Dance Music, or even fanfare that many of Thai famous comedians use!

World premiere by Suranaree Girls Wind Symphony (from Suranaree Wittaya School in Nakorn Ratchasima, Thailand) in 22nd International Festival of Wind Orchestra Prague 2020 (Gold Medal With Honour) on 15 February 2020, Prague, Czech Republic.

Sensei (先生) is an honorific term in Japanese that is translated as “person born before another” or “one who comes before”. In general usage, it is used after a person’s name and means “teacher” and also used as a title to refer to or address other professionals or persons of authority, such as clergy, accountants, lawyers, physicians and politicians or to show respect to someone who has achieved a certain level of mastery in an art form or some other skill, e.g., accomplished novelists, musicians, artists and martial artists.