In 2008, the Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums will celebrate fifty years of service.

Colonial Williamsburg Senior Fifes and Drums
Basel Military Music Tattoo
Basel, Switzerland
July 9-22, 2008

In an effort to keep the flow of communication going during the preparations for this grand undertaking, the staff members at Fife and Drum have decided to have monthly meetings for the Senior Corps members and their parents.  All meetings will be held at Fife and Drum from 7:00 pm until 8:00 pm on the first Wednesday of each month.  Afterwards, notes from those meetings will be posted on this website for your reference.  Please plan to attend as many of these meetings as possible and bring your questions!  Those meeting dates will be held on the following dates:

March 5
April 2
May 7
June 4

We may add a second meeting late in June, the exact date of which will be announced later.  All questions regarding any aspect of this trip should be directed to Lance Pedigo, Supervisor of Fifes and Drums. Contact Lance or phone 757-220-7366.

Basel Performance Dates
Required Documents
Meeting Minutes
Music Performance (Corps Member Responsibilities)
Militia Performance (Corps Member Involvement)
Basel Rehearsal Schedule
Corps Member’s Financial Requirements
Plain Clothes Uniform Requirements
Deadlines

Required Documents:
Your son or daughter will need a valid passport.  This passport needs to be brought to a staff member at Fife and Drum, who will make a copy for our reference.  If your son or daughter needs to submit a passport application, forms are available from Stewart Pittman at Fife and Drum or at the Post Office.  Locations in Williamsburg that will take passport photos include, but are not limited to, AAA Motor Club, Kinko’s, and the Post Office.  The estimated processing time for passports is about six weeks.  Applications need to be sent in as soon as possible in order to get passports sent to you in a timely manner.

Meeting Minutes:
Wednesday, April 2, 2008 Meeting
Wednesday,March 5, 2008 Meeting
Thursday, February 7, 2008 Meeting

Music Performance, Corps Member Responsibilities:
By June 1, Corps members will need to have the entire Senior Corps repertoire passed off (unless membership in the Senior Corps began less than nine months prior to this deadline) and will also need to have the entire Basel repertoire passed off.  Members are asked to give Fife and Drum priority second only to school and family for purposes of class and performance attendance and that every effort be made to pass tunes during each visit to Fife and Drum.

Extra rehearsals will be scheduled to work on the Basel repertoire and to practice the drill for both shows.  Attendance at these rehearsals will be imperative in achieving the desired quality of performance for which we are aiming at the Basel Tattoo.  We understand that this will make for a busy spring and early summer, but we feel that the rewards we will receive from a quality performance will be well worth our time and effort.

Militia Performance, Corps Member Involvement:
Yes, there will be two performances at each show for us!  Besides the music and marching that we usually have, there will be a second show which will focus on the militia.  Senior Corps members who will be 16 by July (9 or 13), 2008 will be eligible to handle and fire a musket.  There will be special training sessions to teach these corps members all about the safety and handling of muskets for this purpose.  These sessions will be run by members of the Military staff and Fife and Drum staff who are experts with these historic weapons.  A schedule of these training sessions will be forthcoming.  For Senior Corps members who will be 15 or younger by July (9 or 13), 2008, they will be eligible to carry a musket during the show, but will not fire them.  All members who will be carrying muskets and/or firing muskets will be using bayonets as well.  Training will be held for the younger members also for purposes of knowing musket safety and handling skills.  Parents will need to sign a special permission slip allowing corps members to take these training sessions and use these weapons during performance at the Basel Tattoo.

Basel Rehearsal Schedule:
Spring and Early Summer

Corps Member’s Financial Requirements:
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is currently raising funds for travel expenses for the Basel Tattoo.  We hope that this funding will pay for corps members’ air fares and hotel accommodations.  If so, corps members would only need to pay for meals and admission tickets to sightseeing excursions or activities, plus some modern clothing to be worn as a rehearsal uniform for the dress rehearsals held in Basel.  Corps members should also bring money for souvenirs.

Plain Clothes Uniform Requirements:
We will be wearing rehearsal outfits that will consist of modern clothes and designed to match.  We are currently looking into what we will wear for this rehearsal uniform and will post that information here as soon as we have it.

Completed order forms and checks made out to Colonial Williamsburg in the amount of $110.00 are due by Friday, April 18, 2008. This clothing will consist of red and blue short-sleeved polo shirts, a long-sleeved rugby shirt with the corps member's last name and issue number on it, two short-sleeved T-shirts, and a rain jacket (no charge). Please put, "for Basel Uniform" on the memo line. Information regarding the slacks will follow at a later date.

Questions? Problems? Comments - Email Lance Pedigo