250 Years of American Music.
Still Marching On.

A fife and drum corps is a small musical ensemble built around two instruments: the fife — a small, high-pitched wooden flute — and rope-tension snare and bass drums. The combination produces one of the most distinctive sounds in American music: bright, piercing, and impossible to ignore.

These ensembles have been part of American life since before the Revolutionary War. Military fifers and drummers didn't just play music — they ran the army's daily schedule, signaling when soldiers should wake, eat, assemble, and march. After the wars, those musicians brought their instruments home and kept playing.

Today, fife and drum corps are volunteer community organizations. Some focus on Revolutionary War traditions, others on the Civil War era, and some play a mix of historical and contemporary music. They march in parades, perform at musters (the fife and drum world's version of a festival), and gather for the pure joy of making music together.