History - marching percussion

The contemporary marching percussion instruments we utilize to outfit our battely percussion ensemble are evolved from basic military instrumentation played throughout the world. The use of marching drums can be traced back to as early as the 15th century as “fife and drum corps”ensembles. Simple in design, the marching bass drum and snare drum were used in the military throughout Europe for centuries, and began to blossom as a folk tradition in the US around the year 1876. Nostalgic and patriotic Americans of this era recreated and supported the fife & drum corps in town bands. The music that these civilian groups performed was spawned out of military traditions, but was free to develop into more entertaining and artistic forms. This civilian, patriotic music continued as a "folk tradition" across the US during WWI and II as American Legion and VFW Posts, Boy Scout troops, churches, schools and other organizations created quasi-military patriotic marching groups. The percussion instruments utilized within the WFPE and other current contemporary marching ensembles have evolved from many different and modern influences, yet can all trace back their basic designs to these traditional beginnings.

Today, the use of marching percussion instruments can be seen in theaters, parades, basketball courts, on football fields and entertainment venues throughout the world. Competitive "corps style" high school and college bands or more traditional style groups similar to those seen in the film "Drumline", arts/music organizations like Star of Indiana's musical theater performance "BLAST!", as well as Drum Corps International's new ESPN broadcast of the "Summer Music Games" or WGI and PASIC's Winter Percussion festivals have all elevated the general public's musical awareness of this unique art form to new levels. The marching percussion activity continues to evolve, drawing on design and playing styles from not only US roots, but European, African and Asian instrumentation, techniques and styles. The WFPE continues to push the envelope of contemporary percussive innovation while staying true to more traditional roots.

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