The Silicon Valley area of California, home to technology giants such as Google, Twitter, Facebook, and Tesla is probably the very last place in America that one would expect to hear the sweet sounds of fifes and drums. If you listen closely however… you just may hear it! Founded in 2010 in Pleasanton, CA the Young American Patriots is under the leadership of "Jersey-Jason" Giaimo, a New Jersey native and former student of the legendary fifer Jimmy Douglas. Despite having over 35 million people in California, the Young American Patriots is one of just TWO junior fife & drum corps in the state.
The Young American Patriots, called "the "YAPs" for short, held its biannual fife and drum music competition on Independence Day. In July and December each year, the YAPs fifers and drummers compete for seniority, and for gold, silver and bronze medals. This competition is held within the band since the closest junior corps is about 8 hours south. The competition replicates the traditional East Coast style of competition and scoring and is a friendly competition to encourage everyone to play better and do their best.
The winners of the YAPs California July 4th fife & drum competition are:
- Advanced Fife: Jyothi Vema (gold), Sushant Vema (silver), Vishok Lakshmankumar (bronze).
- Intermediate Fife: Meenakshi Yarlagadda (gold), Rohith Dinesh (silver), Medha Garikipati (bronze).
- Drum: Alex Raj (gold), Vardaan Singhania (silver)
They are about as far from Lexington & Concord as one can get, but the YAPs are helping to keep the spirit of 1776 alive and well in California! Find out more at YoungAmericanPatriots.com.
Original Content: "Jersey-Jason" Giaimo This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Edited by: CMitchell