On Saturday, September 15th, 2018 the Mountain Fifes and Drums held a silent auction to raise money for their upcoming Colonial Williamsburg Trip. They will be taking around 50 of the youth musicians to an event called, “Drummer’s Call”, a nationwide gathering of Fife and Drum Corps, which is taking place in May 2019.
The dinner was attended by mountain residents and visitors alike, who enjoyed dinner, performances and displays, along with the auction, all of which took place at Church of the Woods in Lake Arrowhead.
“We take children from ages 10 and older and teach them music, fifing or drumming”, explains Joy Hatch, Director of the Mountain Fifes and Drums. “It’s all free of charge and they move up through the ranks to the senior corps. “They learn the five pillars: music, history, leadership, discipline and responsibility. Everything we teach is geared towards bringing up tomorrow’s leaders of this country.”
Many different songs were performed throughout the evening event, allowing the public to see the results of the hard work demonstrated by the leadership and the youth performing the Revolutionary War period music, with some of the songs dating back as far as the 1500’s to Irelands resistance against England. With the powerful drumbeats reverberating throughout the room and the jaunty melodies from the fifes accompanying the rhythm, the guests feet couldn’t help but tap along. The connection to the days of our countrys’ founding was palpable.
When asked about the commitment required by the students, Macken Keefe, a 17 year old, 5 year veteran of the corps replied, “We do spend about 3 hours every Monday night, but that only makes up a portion of what we do practice wise. Me personally, I spend about 2 hours a day outside of those Monday nights actually practicing and honing my musical skills.” Joshua Laizure, a 15 year old, 5 year veteran added to those statements with, “I was awed with the amount of dedication that it takes to do what the peoples do. I thought, I really want to do this, I want to make this commitment, and it’s been the best commitment I ever made.”
“The next performance by the Fife and Drums will be in Blue Jay on September 29th at the Blue Jay Quilt Walk and after that at the Great Pine Cone Festival at Rim Nordic Ski Area across from Snow Valley on October 6th”, explained Rob Pelladini, the Assistant Director of Fifes and Drums.
For more information on the Mountain Fifes and Drums or to make a donation to the non-profit organization, visit their website at http://fifesanddrums.org/ and follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/fifesanddrums/.