Meet our Instructors for the current season. Instructor lists are finalized and posted each year prior to the start of Camp.
Fife Instructors
Alessandra Alcala
Alessandra picked up her first fife at age 9 and instantly fell in love! As a West Coast fifer, she has performed with the Mountain Fifes and Drums and Los Angeles Fifes and Drums. By age 11, she had begun her first explorations in composing for the fife, culminating in the release of her first book “Fife and I” in 2023.
Currently, she lives in NYC and splits her time between coasts, primarily working in the musical theatre world as a pianist/music director. She has worked at venues such as LA’s Ahmanson Theatre and NYC’s Carnegie Hall, music directed productions and concerts regionally with companies such as Pacific Conservatory Theatre, SLORep, The Great American Melodrama, The Mac-Haydn, and 54 Below, and toured nationally the past few holiday seasons playing keyboard.
As a former six-year camper herself, Alessandra is incredibly happy to be returning to the place that sparked many lifelong friendships and shaped her into the musician she is today. She is honored to be joining this crazy talented team of instructors for Camp 2026!
Emily Barone
Emily Barone is a native of Baltimore, MD. Her musical studies began on piano at age seven from her grandmother and Santa Fe Opera Company singer, Valerie Murphy. Emily began studying the flute at age nine and the fife at age 12. She attended the Peabody Conservatory of Music and received a Bachelor’s of Music in Flute Performance and in Music Education, as well as a minor in Early Music. Her principal teachers have included Ms. Sara Nichols and Ms. Laurie Sokoloff on flute/piccolo, Ms. Gwyn Roberts on baroque flute, and Mr. Donald Heminitz on fife. Emily is very involved in historic flute music and field music research. Emily has been a Fife Instrumentalist in the United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps since 2016, where she has arranged performance music for the ensemble, directed the Center for Martial Music, a center for field music research, and currently is a Fife Section Leader. Emily is very dedicated to fostering the fife and drum folk art tradition and is currently serving as the Secretary for the Company of Fifers and Drummers. She is also a core member of the ensemble “Music of the Regiment” (est. 2023), a performance and research collective dedicated to 18th and 19th century wind band music.
Emily is also very passionate about animal welfare and animal behavior, primarily in a shelter setting. She loves spending time with her four pets and working with animals at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. She earned her CPDT-KA certification in 2024, and continues to pursue animal behavior education and training opportunities.
Katherine Benoit
Katherine first got involved in music as a trumpet player before beginning the fife at the age of 10. In 2015, she joined the Marquis of Granby Jr. Ancient Fyfe and Drum Corps out of Granby, Connecticut, before joining the Connecticut Patriots in 2022. She has shared her love for music throughout New England and Europe, but nothing has been quite as special as Friday night of DRAM week with the camp!
Outside of fife and drum, Katherine is a 2026 graduate of the University of Connecticut with a B.S. in Chemistry and a minor in Molecular and Cell Biology. She has also been an active member in the UConn Marching Band and Travel Pep Band throughout her time there.
Katherine has been attending Junior Fife and Drum Camp since 2017, with this year being her second year as an instructor. She is thrilled to be welcomed back at this year’s camp and cannot wait to come together with everyone this summer!
Jay Healy
Jay Healy is from Lexington, Massachusetts. After graduating Lexington High School in 2018, he received his Bachelor of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications from Ithaca College in 2022.
After winning the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps audition in April 2023, Jay enlisted into the Army where he is fortunate to work alongside other soldier musicians like himself that bring an array of musical knowledge and background.
Jay began his musical career as a trumpeter in his elementary schools band program, but was later enrolled in the William Diamond Junior Fife and Drum Corps at the age of nine. He brings a breadth and depth of fife and drum experience and knowledge throughout his 15 years of playing. He has served as a Fife Sergeant with the Middlesex County Volunteers Fifes and Drums (MCV) and a fifer with the Grand Republic Fife and Drum Corps and George Mason Fife and Drum Corps.
Kara Loyal
Kara Loyal began her fifing journey with the Sudbury Ancients Fyfe and Drum Company after seeing them at the Sudbury Muster in 1999. After playing with them for a few years, and joining the CT Valley Field Music for a season, she won a position with the U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps. In the Old Guard, she was privileged to travel the world, and performed in Norway, Canada, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Hawaii. She also traveled to Sydney, Australia, with the Middlesex County Volunteers, and is grateful for the musical friends she’s made along the way. In Switzerland, she and her husband Dave fell in love with the Basel Fasnacht style of “fifing and drumming”, and traveled several times to perform in the festivities there. Kara has recently retired from the Old Guard after 20 years, and is looking forward to performing more with her home corps, the Connecticut Patriots. Kara lives in Virginia with her husband Dave, of Loyal Drums, their two kids Katie and Matthew, her 19-year-old cat Freya, and their newly adopted labradoodle, Mandy. A fun fact about Kara is that she met her husband, Dave, at Fife and Drum Camp in 2002, and they got married 5 years later after the Sudbury Muster!
Natasha Marks
Natasha is a longtime fifer who attended Junior Fife and Drum Camp herself! She started playing fife in 6th grade after seeing the Nutmeg Juniors march in the NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade on TV and was instantly hooked. Over the years, she’s played with The Nutmeg Volunteer Jr Ancient Fife & drum corps, The Westbrook Senior Drum Corps, and now the Bluff Point Quahog Diggers Band. Her favorite tune is “Bubbling Over", her favorite muster meal is the corn chowder at Sudbury, and she even met her husband at The Westbrook Muster!
Natasha has taught at camp for multiple years and loves watching that awesome moment when a tricky measure suddenly clicks. She currently lives in Manassas, Virginia with her husband, two daughters, two dogs, and a cat—and can’t wait to make music (and memories) with everyone this summer!
Karen McGuire
This will be Karen McGuire's thirteenth year teaching at JRFDC – and she is thrilled to be back! Karen grew up in a Long Island, New York fife and drum family and was given her first fife at the age of six. As a member of the competitive junior corps, Good Shepherd, started by her parents, she grew up playing the Kirk Music selected in 2017 for JRFDC – along with many of the tunes heard in jam sessions at fife and drum musters. Karen brought her fife with her to Colorado – where she lives – and has stayed active in fife and drum as the founder and principal musician of the Mile High Fife and Drum Corps. Karen also plays flute in two Denver community bands and teaches elementary school band part-time. She relates to the challenges of new music, fingerings and rhythms, and is excited to help her fife students master the camp music - as they always do. Karen’s Theme: Music brings us all together.
Mikayla Hickman McDaneld
Mikayla has been fifing for almost 20 years, starting at age 9 after being taught by her mom, and currently plays with the Bluff Point Quahog Diggers Band. In 2019, she graduated from Southern CT State University with her Bachelor’s in Music.
While she had already been a musician for ten years upon entering college, with a history of performing with the Milford Volunteers and Connecticut Blues fife and drum corps, Mikayla learned to play flute for the first time as a freshman — and also became the first senior to put on a recital in three years.
In 2013, 2014, and 2015, Mikayla participated in junior camp, and has been chasing the enthusiasm and passion ever since!
Chris Myers
Chris Myers first picked up the fife in 2002 after seeing a performance of the Kentish Guards Fife & Drum Corps in Newport, RI that fall. A few weeks later, he joined the KG and within a couple of years, he was elected Fife Sergeant, and is currently the Chief Musician and holds the rank of Major in the KG Rhode Island Historic Militia. He has also been a fifer with the Middlesex County Volunteers Fifes & Drums (MCV) since 2010, as well as an instructor with the William Diamond Junior Fife & Drum Corps for the past 15 years. In all these roles, he has had the opportunity to help shape the sound of individual fifers as well as the corps by providing musical arrangements and instruction. Chris is also a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist most recently with the Celtic ensemble Fellswater, and continues to perform frequently with his wife as the acoustic duo Chris & Diane. He looks forward to working with the students and staff of the Junior Camp this year for the first time.
Josh Robbins
Joshua Robbins is a native of Indiana and has been playing the fife since 2003, when he joined the Voyageur Ancient Fife and Drum Corps of Lafayette, IN. As an adult, he joined the Theatiki Fife and Drum Corps of Bourbonnais, IL and the Bluff Point Quahog Diggers Band of New England. In 2024, he won a spot with The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps and has since moved to Virginia, where he lives with his partner, Luca. Together, they have a poodle named Poppy and plans to get a cat in early 2025. Josh has been involved with the camp as a camper and instructor since 2012, and is excited to return once again to teach the next generation of fife and drum!
Jess Salazar
Jessica began fifing at the age of 5 and has been around the fife and drum community her entire life. She joined the Junior Colonials of Westbrook while tagging along with her mom to rehearsals when she was instructing the drum majors. At the age of 10, started marching with her parents in the CT Blues and has been a member ever since!
She attended Hamilton College majoring in psychology and was on the women's basketball team. After graduating in 2008, she auditioned for and won a fife spot with the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, serving from 2009-2015. During her time in the Old Guard, Jess was part of the production staff writing and arranging corps music and led the Fife Ensemble.
Since leaving the Old Guard, she earned two nursing degrees and now lives in CT with her husband Josh, a former Old Guard snare drummer, and their two kids who are in Col. John Chester. She remains very active in the CT Blues as fife instructor and arranger. When she isn't with the Blues or working as a nurse, Jess is most likely coaching her kids' basketball and soccer teams. She taught at camp for many years and, after a few years hiatus, is very excited to be back for 2026!
Larissa (Lacey) Sasgen
Larissa (Lacey) Sasgen is a Midwesterner turned New Englander moving from IL to MA in 2007 with a minor detour to VA. Lacey began studying flute at age 10 and started fife at 16. She attended Northern Illinois University and received a Bachelor's of Music in Flute Performance with emphasis in Early Music. Her teachers have included Peter Middleton for flute/piccolo, and Janet Hathaway for baroque flute/recorder. She was the Musical Director for the Middlesex County 4H Fifes and Drums for 5 years, tripling membership during her tenure there, as well as the Fife Supervisor at Colonial Williamsburg for 4 years, working with over 100 students with a team of 5 adults. Lacey has been a member of the Middlesex County Volunteers since 2007, where she is the fife Section Leader and currently chairs the Music and Education Committees. She also performs in Musica Lata, a chamber orchestra comprised of employees at MIT, Harvard, and their partner institutions.
When she is not playing music, you can likely find her rowing on the Charles, cycling in Concord, or in a hockey rink learning drills.
Jen Wick
Jen played fife with the Marquis of Granby from 1970 to 1979 and taught fife there off and on from around 1992 until the corps disbanded in 2025. She was a founding member of the 18th Connecticut Regiment and has been with Connecticut Valley Field Music for 37 years. As a young fifer in the Marquis, she often wished there were such a thing as fife and drum camp. Dreams do come true!
Helen Canciello - Intern
Helen has been fifing for 10 years, beginning with the William Diamond Juniors in Lexington, MA at the age of 7. In 2015, she traveled with the corps to England where she performed at the Tower of London, and she played with the corps on their trip to Ireland in 2019. She was the Fife Sergeant during her last year before aging out of the corps, and now she is a member of the Middlesex County Volunteers, with which she performed at the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo in 2024.
Music has always been a huge part of her life, growing up playing the piano and participating in several musical ensembles during high school. In addition to music, she has always loved to create art and is now pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston, MA.
Helen has been attending camp since 2018 and served as the fife section leader in 2025. She is so excited to stay involved in junior camp and return as an intern in 2026!
Snare Drum Instructors
Philip Andrews
Philip Andrews is a performer, arranger, and educator from Fairfax, Virginia. He graduated from Wright State University with a B.A. in Music Performance. His education continued at Liberty University, where he received a Graduate Certificate in Marketing. He is still enrolled at Liberty, and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Social Media Management.
Philip’s introduction to fife and drum was at the age of two, at the Old Saybrook Torchlight Parade. His first formal lessons were provided by Dr. Jim Clark, and shortly after beginning lessons became a member of The Warehouse Point Junior Fife and Drum Corps. He was also a member of Colonel John Chester Fife and Drum Corps, where he became a two-time Connecticut state champion as an individual snare drummer. He is an active member of the Connecticut Patriots Fife and Drum Corps and the Connecticut Blues Fife and Drum Corps, and has performed with St. Peter’s Drum Corps and the Yalesville Senior Ancients. Currently, he is a Snare Drum Musician in The United States Army Old Guard Fife And Drum Corps.
Philip is an active educator in the marching arts. He has taught in-person and virtual drum lessons since 2017. He also taught multiple high school marching bands, percussion ensembles, and drum and bugle corps across the country. He served on the instructional staff for the 2024 Company of Fifers and Drummers Junior Camp. He was elected to the Executive Committee in 2025 and currently serves as the chair for the Communications Committee. Additionally, he serves as a Board member for the United States Association of Rudimental Drummers.
Philip is a Beetle Percussion Artist, and proudly endorses Loyal Drums.
Cliff Barrows
Cliff Barrows began his journey in fife and drum in 1969 as a fifer with the Junior Colonials of Westbrook, CT, later transitioning to snare drum. In 1976, he joined the Deep River Juniors, where he began competing in individual, duet, and quartet contests. Since 1979, Cliff has been a dedicated member of the Connecticut Blues Fife and Drum Corps, contributing significantly by composing numerous drum charts for the corps.
Throughout his junior fife and drum years, Cliff was mentored by Ken Lemley and later studied privately with Jim Clark. The Connecticut Blues provided further inspiration and guidance through instructors Paul Cormier and Dan Mullen. Over the years, Cliff has amassed an impressive record of accomplishments, earning numerous Connecticut, Massachusetts, Hudson Valley, and Northeastern Championships. Notably, in 2005, he teamed up with Don, Brendan, and Colin Mason to win the percussion ensemble category at the DCA World Championships.
Today, Cliff continues to perform with the Connecticut Blues alongside his wife Judy, his daughter and son-in-law Jess and Josh Salazar, and, when on the East Coast, his son Peter Barrows. A passionate advocate for the fife and drum tradition, Cliff finds great joy and fulfillment in volunteering at the Fife and Drum Camp, helping to ensure the preservation and growth of this cherished art form.
Duane Bradley
Duane began his drumming journey in 2014 with the 21st Georgia Company B Fife and Drum Corps, quickly assuming a leadership role. In 2017, he joined the Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums, graduating in 2023 as one of the corps' primary instructors and also serves on the executive committee for the Colonial Williamsburg Alumni Association.
As an alumnus of the Warhill High School drumline, Duane held various leadership positions and received multiple awards during his time there. Currently, He can be found performing with both the 21st and 22nd Battalion Grey Coat Fife and Drum Corps, Williamsburg Field Musick Fife and Drum Corps, and The Connecticut Patriots Fife and Drum Corps.
Duane is proud to be an endorsing artist for Loyal Drums. Additionally, He is excited to serve as an instructor at this year's camp!
Roger Donna
Roger Donna began drumming in 1966 in Southington, Connecticut, receiving his training from instructors within the fife and drum community. Early in his career, he competed extensively in individual competitions across Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York. He later transitioned to the drum and bugle corps world, marching with the Connecticut Hurricanes from Shelton, Connecticut.
Currently residing in Delaware, Roger is a member of the 1st Delaware Regiment, an active unit that participates in living history programs and Revolutionary War reenactments throughout the region. He is also a long-distance member of the Lancraft Fife and Drum Corps in North Haven, Connecticut, traveling several times a year to perform with the group.
With a passion for teaching, Roger finds great joy in mentoring new drummers, sharing his expertise, and fostering their growth and enthusiasm for drumming.
Nick Hunter
Nick began his drumming journey in 2000 with the 1st Michigan Colonial Fife and Drum Corps, under the mentorship of Mark and Mary Logsdon. In 2003, he deepened his skills by taking private lessons with Mark, and by 2010, he became the corps' instructor. Nick’s talent was recognized early on, earning him multiple first-place snare drum championship awards from the American Guild of Music in 2004 and 2005. From 2009 to 2012, he attended drumming camps that further honed his craft and, in 2014, was honored as a featured composer. Nick currently teaches two local drumlines. Nick is passionate about giving back to the drumming community that has profoundly shaped his life.
Beyond rudimental drumming, Nick is a skilled drum set player, actively performing with various bands in the Metro Detroit area. He also shares his expertise through private lessons, teaching several students in the region.
Nick lives just outside Detroit with his wife and their three young sons, enjoying a life filled with rhythm, family, and community.
Nick Johnson
Nick got involved in fife and drum through his mother, Celia, who joined the Middlesex County Volunteers (MCV) in 2004. His drumming education has been shaped significantly by Peter Sullivan and Andrea Wirth, among many others, as well as by exposure to groups such as the Fifes and Drums of the Lincoln Minutemen, Prescott’s Battalion Field Musik, and over fourteen years of participation in school concert bands and orchestras. Nick performed with the Middlesex County 4H Fife and Drum Corps from 2008 until 2014, at which point he joined MCV.
Since becoming a member of MCV, Nick has appeared with ensembles including the Portland Symphony Orchestra, Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra, Cambridge Symphony Orchestra, and the Boston Pops Orchestra. His performance experience extends across the United States and internationally, including Puerto Rico, Colonial Williamsburg, the Feast of the Hunters’ Moon, the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo, and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Nick currently serves as the Drum Section Leader for MCV.
He is a 2020 graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering with a minor in music performance. After seven years as a camper at JRFDC, Nick is passionate about helping the next generation of musicians grow and make lifelong memories.
Jeremy Marks
Jeremy Marks grew up in Leesburg, VA, performing with the Loudoun Border Guards Fife and Drum Corps instructed by Cormac and Anne Quinn. He was a Snare Drummer with the US Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps from 2016-2026, during which time he served as the Drum Music Arranger, New Soldier Trainer, and Snare Drum Section Leader.
Jeremy has enjoyed a versatile career in music that has allowed him to travel and perform extensively around the world, including the Basel Tattoo, the Norwegian Military Tattoo, the Netherlands Military Tattoo, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, the Fortissimo Sunset Ceremony in Ottawa, Canada, the Estes Park International Tattoo, and the Virginia International Tattoo. As a clinician and educator, he has presented clinics and workshops for PAS Days of Percussion in numerous states, Shenandoah University, Radford University, the University of Alabama, Morehead State University, Knabenmusik der Stadt Zürich, and the Norwegian Academy of Music. Most notably, in 2017 he had the opportunity to work with the drummers of the Pontifical Swiss Guard in Vatican City, where he performed along side a group of top Swiss and American drummers for Pope Francis on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica.
He is a member of Spale Clique 1927, a Swiss fife and drum ensemble that performs every year at the Basler Fasnacht in Basel, Switzerland. He is also a member of the 21st Grey Coat Battalion Fife and Drum Corps (also from Basel), and is a founding member of its American counterpart, the 22nd Grey Coat Battalion Fife and Drum Corps. Jeremy also regularly performs with the Bluff Point Quahog Diggers Band at fife and drum musters.
Jeremy holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Radford University, studying under the tutelage of Dr. Rob Sanderl. He is a member of the PAS Marching Percussion Committee. Jeremy endorses Loyal Drums instruments and products. He currently resides in Manassas, VA with his beautiful wife, two lovely daughters, two dogs, and one kitty cat.
Brendan Mason
Brendan Mason is an active teacher, performer, and clinician in the New England area. He currently teaches general and instrumental music at East Shoreline Catholic Academy in Branford, CT (previously Saint Mary School) and serves as the Assistant Marching Band Director for Jonathon Law High School in Milford, CT. He provides private lessons to many students of all ages in the New England Area. Brendan also has served as caption head or technician to several area drumlines and percussion sections including the Cheshire High School Marching Band, Col. John Chester Drum Corps, Connecticut Patriots Drum Corps, The Stony Creek Drum Corps and the 7th Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps. He has provided clinics and workshops all over the world, including a 2014 presentation for the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Indianapolis, a week of clinics in Singapore for the Singapore Armed Forces Band and for The Royal Marine School of Music in Portsmouth, UK. Brendan is a regular teacher, performer and guest throughout China as a member of The China Percussive Arts Society.
Brendan is a student of Paul Cormier, Mike Gagnon, Matt Mayotte, and Tim Cecil. He later studied under Ken Green while attending Northwestern State University of Louisiana where he pursued a degree in music education and percussion performance. Brendan started playing rudimental snare drum at the age of 6 as a member of the Col. John Chester Drum Corps. He soon began competing individually through the Corps, winning honors at the Connecticut, Massachusetts, Hudson Valley, and Northeastern States Championships. At age 9, Brendan became the youngest drummer to hold The Dan English Trophy as the Connecticut State Junior Snare Drum Champion, a distinction he has won more times than any other individual. In addition to teaching, Brendan is a member of the Connecticut Patriots Drum Corps. He has also performed with the Grand Republic Fife and Drum Corps, the Middlesex County Volunteers and The Top Secret Drum Corps of Basel, Switzerland. Through these groups, Brendan has toured both nationally and internationally, performing in Switzerland, France, Germany, and Australia. He has individually performed with notable musicians, such as Shania Twain, and was featured on an ESPN recording. Brendan is a proud member of The Company of Fifers and Drummers, USARD and NARD. He is also an endorsee of Mapex Percussion, The Cooperman Drum Company, Innovative Percussion, ProLogix Percussion, and Loyal Drums.
Peter Mason
Peter Mason is a past member of Col John Chester, Portland Fife and Drum Corps, and a few other corps. He was taught by Brendan Mason, David Fontaine, Tim Cecil, Mike Gagnon, and Bill Rotella. He currently plays with Connecticut Patriots, Americlique, and Deep River Seniors. He is a former pastry chef and now the owner of the Mason Jar Drum Company.
Peter has been a past member of the Junior camp since it started and now as an instructor. Some of his most recent adventures include living in Basel in 2016 for two months and playing with Märtplatz Clique for Fasnacht!
Mike Reidy
My name is Mike Reidy, and I am super excited to be joining the staff for this year’s fife and drum camp!
I have been playing drums since I was 9 years old. My playing experience includes high school band, UMass Drumline from 2018-2021, Spartans Drum and Bugle Corps in 2019, Spartans Indoor Percussion in 2023, and Hawthorne Caballeros in 2023, all on snare drum. My fife and drum journey began with MCV in 2024, and I have been with the group ever since. Outside of fife and drum, I am a general music teacher in Springfield, MA, and I perform with various wind ensembles and orchestras in the Western Mass area.
Josh Salazar
Josh Salazar is a rudimental snare drummer with over 30 years of experience across fife and drum, orchestral, and competitive marching traditions. He began his rudimental drumming career in high school and with the 42nd Royal Highlanders of Lafayette, IN, and went on to perform at Purdue University, march three seasons of DCI with the Blue Stars and Phantom Regiment, and serve for 10 years as a snare drummer with the U.S. Army’s Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps.
Josh is currently the Snare Drum Instructor and Director of The Connecticut Blues, where he has been a member since 2008. His teaching experience includes private instruction, state-champion high school drumlines, and the Col. John Chester Fife and Drum Corps. He lives in Moodus, Connecticut with his wife Jessica—an Old Guard veteran and longtime Blues fifer—and their two children. Josh is excited to return for his fifth season instructing at the 2026 Company of Fifers & Drummers Juniors Camp and looks forward to helping young drummers grow, challenge themselves, and have fun making great music.
Aiden Colaianni - Intern
Hi, I am and Aidan Colaianni and I have been a drummer for most of my life. I started drumming with Col. John Chester fife and drum as a snare drummer and have been with them ever since. I was a percussionist in High school and now I play with the UConn Marching Band on snare drum. I have been going to camp since I was eleven years old and I can’t wait to come back this year as a Snare Drum Intern!
Bass Drum Instructors
Nick Rondeau
Nick began his drumming journey in 2013 at the age of eight with the Marquis of Granby Junior Ancient Fife and Drum Corps. There, he studied under his first drum instructor, Paul Cormier, and later continued his training with Jim Clark, building a strong foundation in rudimental snare drumming and the fife and drum tradition.
Nick is currently a member of the Connecticut Patriots Fife and Drum Corps snare line, where he has performed since 2022. His passion for the art form has been shaped by years of performance, mentorship, and immersion in the fife and drum community.
A longtime participant in this camp, Nick attended as a camper from 2015 through 2023 and returned as an intern in 2024. This year marks his first as an instructor, a role he is especially excited to take on. Nick finds great fulfillment in passing on the tradition to younger drummers and hopes students leave camp feeling successful, inspired, and eager to continue learning.
AJ Newman
A.J. began his life of fife and drum in 2010 in the Marquis of Granby Ancient Fyfe and Drum Corps, studying the bass drum under Paul Cormier, Jim Clark, and Don Mason. He performed across New England and Switzerland with the Marquis and is a 2017 alumnus of Junior Fife & Drum Camp.
A.J. earned a Bachelor of Science in Applied Resource Economics from the University of Connecticut in 2021. As a student, he was active in the UConn Marching Band (bass and tenor drums), Pep Band, and symphonic ensembles. He served as president of the student-led Fife and Drum Corps at UConn. Currently, he performs with the Connecticut Patriots Fife and Drum Corps, recently touring and performing in Switzerland.
Outside of drumming, A.J. works in I.T. for higher education, passionate about maximizing the student experience through both educational technology and musical instruction. He continues to instruct the UConn Drumline as a bass drum technician. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, camping, and exploring new places with his dog.