Br. Mark Brown, 40

Brother Drummer

Its spring, which means it is time for the Spring Musical. This is my third year at St. John’s College High School in Washington DC and will be the third show I have played drums for. This year’s show is Pippin. I enjoy playing the shows, although it is a bit of a workout getting over being rusty. Playing drums again often makes me think of how I got to this place.

In grade school, at St. Matthew’s in Baltimore, I enjoyed when the Calvert Hall band would come to perform a concert. I decided that playing drums would be something exciting to do. So I joined the grade school band, and when I was in eighth grade it was an easy choice to attend Calvert Hall. There I was part of the marching band, concert band, and jazz band.

It was also at Calvert Hall that I met the Brothers. And while it was not something that at an earlier age I would have considered, the invitation of the Brothers to consider their vocation spoke to me. And to make a long story short, I kept in touch with the Brothers throughout college, and after graduating joined.

I must admit that the reaction of some of the Brothers to my playing the drums was met with a certain bit of puzzlement. I can only guess at what thoughts were passing through the director’s mind when I moved my drum kit into the scholastic. But through it all they were supportive, or at least tolerant, of my loud hobby.

But it has paid off. At my first full time assignment, Archbishop Carroll in Radnor, PA, I remember talking to the band director in August, asking if there was anything I could help out with. He asked what instrument I played, and when he heard my response was delighted. He had plans to form a pep band for the football season and had no student drummer. So for the first year I was playing for the pep band. At Central Catholic in Pittsburgh I continued to help with the music department. At West Catholic in Philadelphia I even had the opportunity to be the director of the Jazz Band, as well as to play in the pit for two of their musicals. And now at St. John’s I continue to help out with the music department, coach the drum line for the Regimental Band, and play for the musicals.

For those in need of a conclusion, here is a thought. I think the Lord blesses us in many ways with various talents. I have been blessed by my vocation in the Christian Brothers. I have been blessed again by the support and encouragement that the Brothers have shown me, in particularly with regards to my being a drummer.