Drum Corps Adds Revolutionary Flair to Seekonk

Nine fifes, six drums, one barn.

"Bang!" shouted David Evans as six drummers finished their song in the waning backyard light. Evans' shout was a playful substitute for the usual musket shot at the end of each of The Yankee Volunteers Fife and Drum Corps' medley. 

Sitting in the lofted barn of the Evans' Lake Street home, a space built for practices, a mix of 15 fifers and drummers practiced casually among couches and soda cans last Monday night. The amalgam of early American music and Patriots jerseys staged an ironic scene. The laid-back nature was indicative of their decade of experience.

Founded by Sharon Clarke, The Yankee Volunteers Fife and Drum Corps, is celebrating its 10-year anniversary this January. Clarke, a librarian at the Seekonk Public Library, first discovered the fife and its "beautiful music that intrigued [her]" with daughter, Stephanie, during a trip to Pawtucket's colonial Daggart House.

A zealous call was then made to her friend and now president of the ensemble, Jenay Evans, who played the fife in high school. The pair devised a plan to teach their children to play Yankee Doodle within the next six months to perform at the Seekonk Memorial Day Parade. 

Not only did their young children learn Yankee Doodle, but they also learned Battle Hymn of the Republic. These two songs were played in repetition in their first Memorial Day Parade in 2000. 

The band has grown to include 30 members and has traveled nationally. An ensemble of a few fifes expanded to include drums, dancers, a colorguard, and musketeers.

Their ingenuity and drive has led the Corps through years of local tradition, marching in the Gaspee Days Parade of Warwick, the Seekonk Memorial Day Parade, many Fourth of July Parades, and many more parades throughout the season which starts every March.

Nearly all of the members from the Corps' earlier years still practice every Sunday. Though there are long-standing members, the group is more than eager to teach new members. 

The YV is a self-sufficient entity. By highlighting each person's unique talents and interests, the group has been the arbiter of its own success. Clarke, a colorguard with an affinity for writing, heads The YV's publicity, marketing, and communication. Though Clarke was met with an incalculable task when asked how many parades the YV, as they refer to themselves, have marched in.

She took a pause to reflect and mused, "Here we are, 10 years later."

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