Using canonical methods, we study the invariance properties of a boson
ic p-brane propagating in a curved background locally diffeomorphic to
M x G, where M is space-time and G a group manifold. The action is th
at of a gauged sigma model in p + 1 dimensions coupled to a Yang-Mills
field and a (p + 1) form in M. We construct the generators of Yang-Mi
lls and tensor gauge transformations and exhibit the role of the (p 1) form in canceling the potential Schwinger terms. We also discuss th
e Noether currents associated with the global symmetries of the action
and the question of the existence of infinite-dimensional symmetry al
gebras, analogous to the Kac-Moody symmetry of the string.