Fife and drum performances are often family affairs held at reunions, summer community picnics, and on holidays.
Pre-American Civil War military fife and drum bands provided a rough framework which black musicians would fill with African and African-American influences to create a new music.
[1] A "march" becomes more of a swaying dance, sometimes led by a dancer, and singing comes in sporadic shouts, whoops, and moans from the different players.
While spirituals are sometimes played, gatherings of drum and fife music are not religious in nature and not held on Sundays or in church.
These same musicians constituted themselves as a string band, using violin, banjo, guitar, and bass drum, and also incorporated quills.