While high school senior Calvin Deifer was already a multi-instrument musician, joining the Washington Crossing Historic Park Fife and Drums Corps presented a new challenge. He shares how his experience as a volunteer has expanded his musical skills and created a connection with the community.
“I’ve always had an interest in history and music, so I decided to bring the two together by joining a historical music group. My mom showed me a flier for the Washington Crossing Historic Park Fife and Drum Corps about a year ago and I thought that would be a great way to expand my horizons and broaden my understanding of history.
I’m a high school senior and plan to major in music at Moravian University. I’ve played a variety of non-woodwind instruments including the tuba, bass guitar, trumpet, guitar, valve trombone and piano, but I never played the fife before joining the Corps. Stacy taught me all the fingering and how to get a good tone out of the instrument when I started attending practices. She helped me a lot. I’ve never been good at sight reading music and the historical music is written in a different key, so it’s a bit complicated, but I’ve really enjoyed the challenge.
Being part of the corps has been a lot of fun. I enjoy learning the music and participating in the events. I feel like we’re doing a lot of good for the community. My favorite activity so far was participating in the reenactment last year. It was kind of insane to be riding in one of the boats crossing the Delaware just like General George Washington did. The people in the corps are also very nice, they are a close-knit group and it’s been fun getting to know them.”
To learn more about joining the Fife & Drum Corps or volunteering at Washington Crossing Historic Park visit: https://www.washingtoncrossingpark.org/about/volunteer/.
