Brian Drake
Band Director
Band, Jazz Ensemble, & Assistant Marching Band Director

Brian Drake, a Maryland native, is currently a band director at Westminster High School. Since 2001, he has been responsible for the direction of the concert bands, jazz band and marching band. He also serves as the coordinator for the music theory and history programs. During his tenure at Westminster High School all three concert bands have received consistent superior ratings at District Festival. They have also received straight Superior ratings at the state level. The jazz band has also received high praise for their performance on the county and state level. While serving as band director, the marching band was the first in Maryland to become a semi-finalist at the Bands of America (BOA) Grand National Championships (2004). He was also a part of their historic 1st place win at a BOA Regional Championship (2003) and their victory at the Tournament of Bands (TOB) Group 4 Atlantic Coast Championships (2002). The Westminster High School Music Department was awarded the Music Educators National Conference (MENC) and the Maryland Music Educators Association (MMEA) award for the Exemplary Music Program (2003). Mr. Drake was nominated as the Outstanding Teacher of the Year for Carroll County Public Schools (2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2009). He was also nominated for the MENC/MMEA Outstanding Music Educator Award (2003). Recently, he was been nominated for Who's Who Among America's Teachers (2002-2007).

For seven years, Mr. Drake also held the band director position at Johns Hopkins University (2001-2008). He was responsible for the direction of the Wind Ensemble and the Pep Band. The instrumental music program attracted much attention for its noticeable improvement both on stage and in the stadium. The JHU Pep Band is the first and foremost lacrosse band in the NCAA. Carrying on a long tradition, they never miss a game, traveling as far as the Carrier Dome in Syracuse or as short as M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. They were seen perennially under Mr. Drake's leadership on ESPN and ESPN2 during the NCAA Lacrosse Championships.

A graduate of The Peabody Conservatory of Music of the Johns Hopkins University, Mr. Drake received both a Performer's Certificate for trumpet and a Bachelor's Degree in music education in the spring of 1998. Most recently, he received his Master’s Degree in Music Education from Peabody in 2009.

Mr. Drake has studied trumpet with highly respected musicians including Adel, Sanchez, Steven Hendrickson, and Langston Fitzgerald, III. Susan Slaughter of the St. Louis Symphony gave him significant praise for his solo performance of the Haydn Trumpet Concerto. Mr. Drake has performed with several local orchestras including the National Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and the Hopkins Symphony Orchestra. He also received positive reviews from the Washington Post for the "fine sense of style" he displayed at a Kennedy Center chamber performance.

As a conductor, Mr. Drake participated in master classes for Randall Craig Fleisher at a rather young age. Later, he continued his conducting interests as he studied privately with Dr. Harlan Parker of the Peabody Conservatory. For two years he served as the wind conductor for the Frederick Regional Youth Orchestra. For many years, Mr. Drake has served as a guest conductor, clinician, festival judge, award-winning arranger, and commissioned composer for several schools in the Baltimore and Washington area. His works have been performed in concert by the Peabody Conservatory Wind Ensemble, Peabody Conservatory Chamber Winds, the Towson University Concert Band and the McDaniel College Concert Band. He continues to work with youth ensembles in order to cultivate the interest and admiration of music that he gained from his teachers. Mr. Drake is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), American Composers Forum (ACF), National Association of Music Education (MENC), and Maryland Band Directors Association (MBDA).

Contact: bpdrake@carrollk12.org, WHS Music Dept (410) 751-3630 x 262