2023 Jr. Fife and Drum Camp Placement Music

The Company of Fifers & Drummers Junior Camp is proud to announce the music theme for 2023: We will be playing arrangements by John Ciaglia.

John has arranged tunes for fifes for many years; among the many corps he has arranged for are the Ancient Mariners, Middlesex County Volunteers, Williamsburg Fifes and Drum, and many arrangements that have found their way into the standard fife and drum repertoire. Of special significance is the emphasis John places on harmonies, which can be very challenging for any fifer. The Camp Staff believes this will be a stretch for our young musicians but we feel it is a good way to grow our skills. Because of this, we are hoping our more experienced fifers will express their interest in learning some of the harmonies we will choose for Camp Music. 

These Placement video recordings are designed to help us determine the level of players coming to the camp this year. Before we make final decisions on what music to play at the camp, and before we provide instructor assignments, it will be very helpful to know what the campers’ musical levels are. We want the camp to be a useful educational experience for players of all levels. The more we know about your playing before we meet you, the better we will be able to help you to improve. 

Fife Placement Assessment

Play two contrasting pieces of your choice. 

• We suggest that one piece be a standard marching tune, and the other can be whatever you like.
• Each piece should be no longer than one minute in duration. 
• Fifers who want to be considered for playing harmony parts, include the Fife 2 part from the enclosed arrangement of The Green Cockade, by John Ciaglia, as one of their audition pieces.

Note that Mr. Ciaglia writes his music in modern flute notation, which is one octave higher than traditional fife notation. For instance, the space just below the G clef staff is D1, the lowest D on the fife. If you have any questions about this notation, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Snare Drum Placement Assessment

• Play two contrasting rudimental pieces. 
  • One of them should be a standard Ancient corps beating, played at approximately 100-110 beats per minute. 
  • Each piece should be no longer than one minute in duration and should demonstrate clarity of execution and an ability to play within a fairly wide dynamic range. 
• In addition, please run down the long roll (play from slow to fast, then back to slow) from approximately 40bpm to your comfortable top speed. This should take approximately 1 1/2 minutes. 

Bass Drum Placement Assessment

• Play two contrasting rudimental pieces. 
  • One of them should be a standard Ancient corps beating, played at approximately 100-110 beats per minute. 
  • Each piece should be no longer than one minute in duration and should demonstrate clarity of execution and an ability to play within a fairly wide dynamic range.
• In addition, please run down (play from slow to fast, then back to slow) the single paradiddle, increasing in speed from approximately 40bpm to your comfortable top speed. This should take about one minute. 

Placement Videos are due by May 15 (deadline extended from May 1). 

We also do not want campers to put aside music from your Corps in order to practice camp music. If you have questions about this year’s placement video please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..