Fifes and Drums of Yorktown

by

Gracious Living

Photos by Matt Mainor

The call went out throughout the 13 American colonies for able-bodied men to gather as armies and militias to throw off the burdensome yoke the British monarchy had imposed on them for more than a century. Hostilities that had begun in April of that year erupted into revolution as a Provincial Congress assumed power and established a Continental Army under the command of General George Washington.

As more and more adult men took up arms, a call, too, went out to young boys 10 to 18 years old to fill the ranks of the armies’ fife and drum corps. Fifers and drummers were an important part of eighteenth-century armies, just as they had been for the previous 200 years. To assist and train these young musicians, Fife and Drum Majors were quite often musically talented soldiers.

Musicians provided music for an army on the move, providing effective motivation for troops during long treks. But music wasn’t just for entertainment and ballyhoo. It was used to broadcast various signals throughout the day while encamped: time to rise, gather for meals, sick call, assembly, and evening retreat. But more importantly, musical signals were used to position troops on and off the battlefield.

Both fifes and drums could be heard from great distances, even over the din of battle. Drummers would play beatings that told soldiers where and when to turn, as well as to load and fire their muskets. When a command required broadcasting throughout an army spread across a broad front, a fifer and a drummer would play a specific tune, and other fifers and drummers would pick up that tune and play it in kind, until the entire army heard the message.

Both British and American armies used the fife and drum, so these instruments are strongly associated with the American Revolution. They continued to be used well into the American Civil War. Over time, the bugle was preferred as it could be played with one hand, however shipboard Marine detachments continued to use fifes and drums until 1921. Eventually, they gave way to more modern instruments, but saw a resurgence in 1876 for the country’s centennial celebration as nostalgic, patriotic Americans recreated the music closely associated with the American Revolution.

YORKTOWN 1975

Two hundred years later a similar call went out for young musicians to gather on the battlefield; this time not to direct an army but to celebrate. What better place than Yorktown, site of the siege and surrender of British General Charles Cornwallis to General George Washington in 1781, that would effectively end the American Revolutionary War a year later.

The occasion was the country’s Bicentennial Celebration that paid tribute to the many historical events leading up to the creation of our nation as an independent republic. The Bicentennial culminated on Sunday, July 4, 1976 with the 200th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. The Fifes and Drums of Yorktown were formed by the County of York, one of the eight original shires formed in Colonial Virginia in 1682.

The Corps’ mission was and continues to be to preserve and present this historically unique Revolutionary War-era fife and drum music as an art form. Their focus is on teaching young people who have the willingness, dedication, and appreciation of their country’s history. By teaching the rudiments and drill of eighteenth-century field music and tasking them to perform for the public, these young men and women grow confidence and competence they can carry with them into the future. As the hometown Corps of the place where American Independence was won, the Corps carries on the traditions of our founding fathers.

PRESENT

Today, the Fifes and Drums of Yorktown is a 501-C3 nonprofit organization with a membership of almost 50 young people, ages 10 to 18, actively recruited from surrounding communities. Unlike other professional fife and drum organizations, no prior musical experience is required. “Members are selected in order from our first-come, first-served waiting list,” explains Sharra Odom, Executive Board President.

Approximately 60 percent of members join with some musical background. This can range from an elementary-grade recorder class all the way through to significant formal instruction. Instrumental backgrounds run the gamut including drum, flute, piano, cello and violin. Formal musical experience is not always the best gauge of success, however. Each member starts off with the same instruction and basic music theory, and some members with no experience progress faster than those with prior knowledge. It comes down to discipline and determination.

Many of the Corps’ talented instructors are themselves alumni, collectively dedicating hundreds of hours annually to create a world-class musical ensemble that has performed at prestigious venues like the United States Capitol, Jefferson Memorial, Gettysburg Battlefield, Virginia’s Governor’s Mansion, the Statue of Liberty, Mount Vernon, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and are seen weekly at Yorktown Battlefield. Most Corps performances are free and open to the public.

As Music Master and Lead Instructor, Jim Camillucci has a Master’s Degree in Education and is currently a public school teacher and a percussion instructor in Gloucester. Now in his 16th year with the Corps, Jim continues to lead the music instruction with emphasis in the design of the field shows and focus on rudimental drumming. He is also instrumental in the development of the Corps’ musical repertoire.

Fife, Drum Instructor Stephan Southard is an accomplished musician with over 30 years of experience performing on trumpet, percussion, pennywhistle, recorder and voice. He served as Assistant Music Master from 1993-1997, providing instruction in music theory, fifing, drumming, marching, drum-majoring, and the history of martial music. He is certified with the International Association of Field Musicians as a Drum Major and a Fife Sergeant and is President of the Fifes and Drums of Yorktown Alumni Association.

Drum Instructor Ron Johnson recently retired from the United States Air Force after serving 24 years as a percussionist in the U S Air Force Bands and Music Program. Ron is currently serving as adjunct music faculty at Christopher Newport University in Newport News and Chowan University in NC. He holds a Master of Music degree in Percussion Performance from the University of Nebraska. He has been involved with the Fifes and Drums of Yorktown since 2013.

Fife, Drum Instructor Edwin Santana holds the distinction of being one of the original founding members of the Fifes and Drums of Yorktown. He brings extensive experience and depth to instruction of both the fife and the drum.

In addition to these four paid instructors, the Corps is overseen by a three-member elected Executive Board, who appoints various coordinators from among the volunteer parents who typically serve an average of three years.

For the Corps’ young people, public performances are the culmination of hundreds of hours of rehearsals and practice. Music, marching, and flag bearing must be flawless when they step onto the public stage.

There are three levels of ability: Recruit, Junior, and Senior. Each member proceeds through the three levels according to their abilities and dedication to move forward. Ultimately the goal of each member is to reach senior status; to parade and wear the Regimental uniforms reminiscent of eighteenth-century musicians who served in the Continental Army billeted in York Town. Senior Corps members must also demonstrate leadership principles and public speaking as they not only lead the Corps but engage the public during performances.

To achieve this status, each member must be able to read music, learn a minimum of 24 tunes, and march and perform in frequent public appearances and musters throughout the country. Drummer and fifer numbers and genders are fairly evenly split, although boys outpace girls by a small margin. Members sign up for each performance as they are able, but there are five mandatory performances a year. It soon becomes obvious that to be a member is not for the faint of heart, something members’ parents quickly realize.

Fifes are purchased by the members, who generally start out on plastic fifes but move to wooden models upon promotion to Junior Corps. The fifers own their instruments and keep them after departure. The Corps provides the costlier drums. Members buy their own sticks, slings and practice drum pads. All are taught how to care for their instruments, and drum maintenance sessions are held where members learn to completely disassemble, repair, and reassemble them.

The Corps provides all uniform pieces for the Junior and Senior Corps, with the exception of their shoes, while Recruits wear khaki pants and polo shirts. For years, tailors made the Corps’ regimentals, while a hatter crafted the distinctive tricorn hats, but in the space of two years all three specialists have retired.

“We have identified a maker for the tricorn hats and are working to identify a tailor or seamstress for the red regimentals and blue vests,” Sharra explains. “We maintain the uniforms and one of our busiest and most important board positions is that of Quartermaster, whose responsibility is for upkeep and tracking of the uniforms. We have a number of parents who pitch in for minor repair and sewing details. Senior Corps uniforms run approximately $1200 and the Junior Corps uniforms average around $500. We are on a five-year plan to rotate out and replace aging uniforms.” In the past, grants and donations have paid for the uniforms.

Headquartered in a 4,000 square foot facility on Church Street, custom-built from funds raised through a Community Capital project in 2006, the two-story building contains a practice and performance chamber, rehearsal rooms, and equipment storage antechambers on the first floor, and uniform and general storage on the second.

The Corps principal supporters are the York County Arts Commission, the Virginia Commission for the Arts and National Endowment for the Arts, and the Celebrate Yorktown Committee. Support from local civic groups such as the Masons and Rotary, stipends earned from private events, and income through the sale of souvenirs and clothing help generate income.

Unlike other fife and drum groups who are fully funded, The Fifes and Drums of Yorktown are primarily supported by strong community involvement. As one of York County’s most visible performing arts groups, the Corps symbolizes what is best about Yorktown, our founding history, and some of the best in military field music.

For more information about The Fifes and Drums of Yorktown, you can visit their website at www.fifes-and-drums.org.