United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps

Totally amazing!  George Washington, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams would love it!   Enjoy it, and make sure your students have an opportunity to enjoy it as well.     Constitution Day is September 17.  This performance will inspire patriotism, a love of history and perhaps even inspire some young people to study music!  Also see - who is Yankee Doodle?

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These uniforms are what the musicians in George Washington's army wore.  The soldiers wore blue coats with red trim, and the musicians - fife, drum and bugle - wore the opposite, red coats with blue trim.  They played a very important role on the battlefield and in camp.  You can bring them to your classroom!  

The following is from their web site, which also has many resources for the classroom.

The Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps is the only unit of its kind in the armed forces, and is part of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard). The Fife and Drum Corps is stationed at Fort Myer, VA.

The musicians of this unit recall the days of the American Revolution as they perform in uniforms patterned after those worn by the musicians of General George Washington's Continental Army. Military musicians of the period wore the reverse colors of the regiments to which they were assigned. The uniforms worn by the members of the Corps are dated circa 1784, and consist of black tricorn hats, white wigs, waistcoats, colonial coveralls, and distinct red regimental coats.

The drum major of the unit is distinguished from the other musicians by his headgear, the light-infantry Cap. In contrast to modern Army bands, and as an indication of prominence, he carries an espontoon instead of the standard mace. The espontoon is an 18th century weapon carried by officers. However, it is used by the drum major to issue silent commands to the Corps.

The 69-member Corps uses 10-hole fifes, handmade rope-tensioned drums and single-valve bugles, that bring to life the exciting sounds of the continental army. While traveling, the marching strength of the unit is normally 22 musicians and support personnel.