Our performance season is starting in a few weeks, beginning with the Patriots Day parade. Parades, actually. In Lexington, where we're based, this is a big deal. The director of the corps has recently split up the corps, so that the most experienced fifers and drummers sometimes march and go on stand apart from the more junior performers. As I have been in the corps for a year and a half, I am one of the more senior "junior" performers, and for reasons undisclosed, I have been selected to be the junior "fife sergeant" when the junior corps marches apart from the senior. This means a few things.
- I decide what song we're playing, keeping in mind what everyone knows and keeping the songs varied.
- There's no one in front of me to watch to keep in step. Everyone keeps step off me. If I have to look at someone, it's the now junior drum major, my little brother Ben. I can also use the drum rhythm to help keep in step.
- I call the timing and speed of our fife solo during the standpiece.
- I also need to know the drill even better than I did before, because once again, there's no one in front of me.
I'm excited, and this ought to be fun. However, I'm also a little nervous, because I haven't done this before and I'm doing this twice in one day, in four weeks. So I need to focus insanely on the music and practice marching a lot. I know, I didn't have enough to do, right?
I've been aiming for the fife sergeant post. Let's see how things work out. Maybe I'll post some pictures after Patriots Day. It'll be a great day - the reenactment, meaning we get up at about three, the ceremonies, the first parade, random activities, the second, about 2-mile parade...about three miles total.
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