When people ask me, “How was your summer?” I say without the slightest bit of hesitation – “awesome.” And they want to know if I had a nice vacation and… well… “nice vacation” is not exactly how I would describe it. It’s more like crazy, intense, harder-than-my-everyday-life, kind of experience, but worth every ounce of energy I put into it to make it happen! There are very few instances in my life where I get to feel like I really own a piece of music. And with the Edinburgh Tattoo, I really got the sense that I owned every note in that show and I owned everything that went with it including the drill, the routine, my uniform, The Castle, the audience, the little blue line down the center of the Esplanade, and the magic that is EMT.
I learned that, hey, we’re pretty good up here on this international stage. We can definitely represent the United States and the community of fife and drum with great elegance and pride. It’s a pretty incredible feeling for an amateur, I’ll tell you! I’m very thankful that I had the opportunity to show that we care about carrying the torch for this little folk music hobby called fife and drum and got to demonstrate our self determination for excellence. I’m extremely proud of what we accomplished.
I thought that the people of Scotland were fantastic hosts for us. I kind of got the impression they’d never seen anything like us with our warm sounding fifes, intricate harmonies, and powerful drum sound. Plus the bass drumming is just so incredibly different! They responded with such enthusiasm and kindness, it was a joy to be the first representative of a fife and drum corps on the Esplanade.
Though I am extremely sad that the show is over, I look forward to the next time we can take center stage and represent the average American trying to keep alive a spirit and tradition central to the history of our country. As the song we came to know and love goes,
For we’re no’ awa’ tae bide awa’,
For we’re no’ awa tae le’e ye,
For we’re no’ awa’ tae bide awa’,
We’ll aye come back an’ see ye.
-Andrea Wirth
Snare Drummer, MCV
I enjoyed the performance of the Middlesex County Volunteers Fife and Drums immensely in Edinburgh and Glasgow. I was just wondering where have you been all these years – you are just perfect for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. It may come as a surprise to you but Glasgow and Central Scotland has a very strong tradition of fife and drum bands, far outnumbering bagpipe bands – I think that is why the Scottish people took so kindly to you – it was like a much loved, long lost family member coming home, so to speak.