MU professor celebrates past with Fife and Drum Corps

HUNTINGTON -- It might be difficult to find someone as passionate about his field of study as Marshall University music professor Wendell Dobbs.

Dobbs started his musical career at the age of 19 as a player in the U.S. Army Band in Washington before heading to France to study music. Upon returning to the United States, Dobbs started as an assistant professor at Marshall and continues to teach students music, specializing in flutes. He has now been sharing his love of music with Marshall students for 23 years.

"I'm responsible for all the flutists here in the musical program," Dobbs said. "I oversee their studies each semester, as well as their junior and senior recitals.

"We have a flute ensemble here, as well as the new John Marshall Fife and Drum Corp. I also teach freshman music theory. From time to time, I will also teach a history course or a music appreciation course."

The John Marshall Fife and Drum Corps began as an idea from Dobbs' wife Linda. Serving as the Drinko Fellow at the John D. Drinko Academy last year, he wanted to do something to reflect American history. Having had two students serve in the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps in Washington, Dobbs formed the John Marshall Fife and Drum Corps as a way of keeping American history alive.

The uniforms, marching drills and the music played by the Fife and Drum Corps are all from the post-colonial era of America. This was the time when John Marshall served as chief justice of the Supreme Court. Much of the music played by the group was published by Edward Riley, an immigrant from England who became the leading music publisher from 1811 to 1830.

An official ceremony commemorating Dobbs' appointment as Drinko Fellow took place in April. The Drinko Academy also donated funding to the formation of the Fife and Drum Corps. Under his leadership, the Fife and Drum Corps has performed at the West Virginia Republican political convention in Charleston, the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Columbus, Ohio, and at Colonial Williamsburg, Va.

"A flute and a fife are both transverse woodwinds. Which means they are held sideways," Dobbs said. "A flute has more modern mechanisms allowing more facilities. They can be played much faster. A fife has fewer holes and is traditionally used to play traditional military music, which is a bit simpler. However, a lot of the things we play have become very complicated. The flute repertoire is very rich. We have a lot of music from the era of Bach in the 18th century stretching to the 20th century. As I don't play jazz, I mostly teach classic repertoire, though I try to give my students a taste of many types of music."

Dobbs will be helping with the Timber Flute Festival in Elkins, W.Va., from June 22 to 27. The festival will focus on all manner of fifes and flutes made out of wood. A number of leading flute makers and teachers will be on hand to educate attendees about the history and music of such flutes.

In addition to teaching, Dobbs has also performed throughout the Tri-State as a member of the local group Blackbirds and Thrushes.

"My love in life is playing the flute and getting other people to play the flute well," Dobbs said.

For more information of the Fife and Drum Corps visit www.marshall.edu/drinko/event/fife01.asp. For more information on the Timber Flute Festival visit www.randolpharts.org/ flutefest08.htm.