Grand March (from Aida)

Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was born October 10, 1813, so "Happy 200th Birthday, Verdi!" Along with Richard Wagner, Verdi is considered by many to be one of the most influential composers of the 19th century. To this day, his operas are regularly performed by opera companies all over the world.

Grand March... lots of possibilities for your students - Aida is one of Verdi's best known operas, and the "Grand March" from Act II is probably the most approachable work for young performers. We have arranged it so that you can use a wide variety of instruments, mixing and matching them as you like.

The arrangement on the recording features full orchestra (though for a live situation, we also provide an accompaniment that you can perform on piano or other keyboards). We also provide parts for recorder (D, G, A, and B), kazoo (performing a fairly realistic melody), Boomwhackers® (also playable on xylophone), glockenspiel or other bells, crash cymbals (ideally, small classroom cymbals), rhythm sticks, and hand drum. You can use as many or as few of the parts as you like. To give you an idea of how the student parts work together, we have created a special audio mix of them for you. You can access it free at our web site. (See details on page 77.)

In the magazine, you will find the parts for each of these instruments as well as a reduced score that shows the piano, recorder, and Boomwhackers® parts. (The kazoo part is indicated on the piano part.) We also provide a complete score showing all parts as a PDF among the free downloadables for this issue.

Learning opportunities and a bit of online help - Among the several things available free online is a great kid-friendly biography of Verdi, available as a PDF featuring the color portrait of Verdi, and a reproduction of his signature. We also made a larger copy of this picture and signature available for use on bulletin boards or on SMART Board™ or other interactive white boards.

Be sure to listen - Especially if you are studying Verdi and his music, you need to do a little listening. At the least, listen to the tracks we furnish for this tune. Even better, also listen to the original orchestral version from the opera. Many versions are available from services like iTunes® for as little as 99¢. And while you are there, maybe add a few more of Verdi's best known works such as "Ave Maria," or "La Donna e Mobile" from the opera Rigoletto. While you are browsing, we wouldn't be surprised if you found other favorites, too.