THE FIELD MUSIC SCHOOL - Key Persons
Christian Allen is a freelance percussionist working throughout Virginia, the eastern United States, and abroad. His wide experience with classical percussion, marching percussion, drumset, church celebration music, and 18th century military music sets him apart as a versatile performer and instructor.
For the past few years, Christian has been active in teaching and performing nationally and abroad. Currently, he is working with the Grafton High School and Middle School percussion programs as the battery coordinator and classroom instructor. Outside of the classroom, he teaches privately to students from across the Virginia Peninsula.
As a performer, Christian has played onboard Carnival cruise ships, with the Hugh Spain jazz trio, the Chesapeake Bay Wind Ensemble, Field Musick Virginia, and in main-stage shows at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
Mr. Allen studied music at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, VA under the tutelage of percussionists Doug Wallace, Dr. Annie Stevens, and Joshua Bowman, as well as under the baton of Dr. Mark Reimer. Christian has also been a student of Mark Reilly of the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps and Dominick Cuccia of the West Point Hellcats.
Donald has studied orchestral flute since 1998 under teachers Karen El-Chaar and Joel Behrens, and graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Millersville University of Pennsylvania. His teacher, Joel Behrens, was a former member of the USMA Band at West Point and was a student of both John Krell, of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and John Wummer, former Principal Flute of the New York Philharmonic.
Starting on fife in 1999 as a Civil War re-enactor, Don has grown to earn the title "Master Fifer," after testing his skills with George Carroll in 2006. Don has fifed up and down the East Coast of the US, among numerous other states across the country, and has participated with the 85ème Régiment de Saintonge in Ontario, Canada and Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. He has performed with the 3rd New Jersey Field Music on Good Morning America, the Camp Chase Fifes and Drums in Chillicothe, Ohio in the recording of their fourth album in 2009, and with the Middlesex County Volunteers Fifes and Drums (MCV) on stage with the Boston Pops Orchestra. He has also traveled with MCV to Sydney, Australia for the 2010 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and later to Malmö, Sweden for the Sweden International Tattoo. He also performed in the NHL 2016 Winter Classic Alumni Game at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA, and at Emory University in Atlanta, GA with the Atlanta Master Chorale in May 2018.
Emily Barone is a native of Baltimore, MD, where she joined her first fife and drum corps, Monumental City Ancient Fife and Drum Corps. Her musical journey began with piano lessons at age seven from her grandmother and Santa Fe Opera Company singer, Valerie Murphy. Emily began her studies on flute at age nine and began playing fife at age 12. She is very grateful for her family's involvement in her musical education. She attended the Peabody Conservatory of Music and received a Bachelor 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 has a true passion for fife and drum music as well as flute music of all ages. She is grateful for the opportunity to have learned fife and flute simultaneously and is passionate about her involvement in both communities. Emily has been a Fife Instrumentalist in the United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps since 2016.
Jay Healy grew up in Lexington, Massachusetts where he joined the William Diamond Junior Fife and Drum Corps at the age of nine. Quickly falling in love with fife and drum, Jay became an accomplished fifer and took on increasing leadership within the organization. At the age of 15, Jay assumed the role of Drum Major and served until his graduation from the corps in the spring of 2018. Subsequently, Jay decided to pursue higher education at Ithaca College where he is now earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Integrated Marketing Communications with a minor in Music.
While attending college, Jay continues to stay connected to the fife and drum community as a member of the Middlesex County Volunteers Fifes and Drums (MCV). Since joining MCV in September 2017, Jay has performed in the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, the Boston Pop's 4th of July Spectacular, and the Boston Camerata and many other parades and events. Jay also serves as one of MCV's music archivists in preparation for the organization's 40th anniversary, and on the MCV Music Committee, helping to shape their overall sound. Jay is a well-known figure within the fife and drum community and is prominent among the next generation of fifers and drummers.
When Jay is not fifing while dressed in his white wig and tricorn hat, he can be found composing and arranging music, giving tours at Ithaca College, running social media for Ithaca College's Television Network, and playing his trumpet, traverso flute, and modern flute.
Larissa Sasgen has played music for 26 years, and has been part of the fife and drum community for 20 years. She holds a B.A. in Music Performance, emphasis on Early Music from Northern Illinois University, and has performed with the Field Musick of the American Revolution, River Valley Colonials, Middlesex County Volunteers, Middlesex County 4H Fifes and Drums, and the Fifes and Drums of Colonial Williamsburg.She enjoys good music played well, and is looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones. When not playing music, you can find her coaching or rowing crew on the nearest body of water.
Patrick began his percussion experience by marching drum and bugle corps in 1996 with the Golden Lancers Drum and Bugle Corps from Pittsburgh, PA. He continued with that organization in 1997, along with the Bluecoats in 2001, and Santa Clara Vanguard in 2003. During that time, he also performed with Project Percussion which competed in Winter Guard International competitions.
He is a member of the Camp Chase Fifes and Drums where he has studied and transcribed percussion notation from various historical fife and drum manuals. He has served primarily as Drum Sergeant for the past 4 years. Along with Camp Chase, he also performs with, and instructs, the Fort Pitt Fife and Drum Corps from Pittsburgh.
Patrick has taught 5th grade Language Arts and Social Studies for 11 years at Upper St. Clair School District in Pittsburgh, PA. He also instructs the high school drumline, and has taught various other percussion ensembles around the Pittsburgh area.
Sharon Johnson studied voice performance at Montgomery College in Rockville, MD and at the University of Maryland, College Park, MD under various instructors, most notably internationally famous Charlotte Dixon. Following college, Sharon won a spot as a choral alternate with the Washington Opera in Washington DC. She also sang with the Oratorio Society of Washington, performing with the National Symphony in Washington, DC. When Sharon moved to Kansas, she also sang with the Kansas City Symphony Chorus for several years with performances with the Kansas City Symphony.
While in Kansas, Sharon started Civil War reenacting and began to learn to play fife. She initially studied under Jim Krouse of the Americana Music Academy in Lawrence, KS and continues her fife instruction today with Donald Heminitz of Plymouth, MA. Sharon was Donald's first Skype student. After several years of reenacting, Sharon became the principle musician for the Muddy River Battalion based in Kansas City, MO. She also plays fife with numerous fife and drum corps throughout the east coast. She is currently a member of the Colonial Navy of Massachusetts.
Sharon also plays bagpipes with the Kansas City Celtic Pipes and Drums and studies under Griffin Hall of Overland Park, KS. She recently performed choral and bagpipe music internationally with the American Opera Studio under the direction of Dr. Bill Hall and the Great Plains Piping Studio under the direction of Griffin Hall, with performances at various cities across Spain and Portugal.
Sharon has been involved with the Field Music School, first as a student and currently as a staff member. She has assisted the director with various tasks including registration, T-shirt orders and other administrative duties when needed in preparation for each event.
Stephan Southard is an accomplished musician with over thirty years' experience
Stephan began his musical career as a trumpet player. During a summer vacation to Williamsburg in 1989, Stephan was introduced to the fifes and drums. Joining the Fifes and Drums of Yorktown, Stephan studied under George P. Carroll and graduated from the corps with the rank of Principal Musician in 1993.
Stephan spent the next ten years sharing his historical knowledge and musical talents as a museum educator with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. Stephan has served as an actor, singer, arranger, musical consultant, historian, and musician over the years. Stephan has been a career firefighter/paramedic since 2004.
Stephan is currently a Field Music Instructor with the Fifes and Drums of Yorktown, a Volunteer Instructor with the Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums, Vice President of The Field Music School, President of the Fifes and Drums of Yorktown Alumni Association and Director of Field Musick Virginia.