2020 Drum Instructors
Snare Drum
Graham Brown began drumming in the fall of 1991 under the instruction of Doug Stronach. He started his drumming career as the Lead Drummer of the Milton Optimist Pipe Band, founded by his mother Gail. The band was very successful, winning the World Juvenile Championships in 1994, and the Grade 3 Worlds in 1997.
In 2002, after four years of playing Grade 1 in Ontario, Graham moved to Scotland to realize his lifelong dream of playing with the Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band. With Shotts, Graham has won 3 World Pipe Band Championships (2003, 2005, 2015), 4 World Drum Corps Championships (2002, 2003, 2005, 2014), and amassed a total of 17 Major drumming wins (4 Worlds, 3 Scottish, 5 British, 2 European, 3 Cowal).
In 2007 after six seasons with Shotts, Graham returned home to Canada and was named the Lead Drummer of the Grade 1 Peel Regional Police Pipe Band. Over five years Graham led Peel to many band and drumming wins including the North American Championships, and a place in the World Championship final. The fall of 2012 saw Graham reunite at Shotts with his brothers Blair and Glenn, to be part of the band’s rebuilding process under new Pipe Major Ryan Canning, which culminated with the bands win of the 2015 World Championship. In August of 2015 Graham was named Lead Drummer of the St. Thomas Alumni Pipe Band of Houston, Texas, one of the world’s top Grade 2 Pipe Bands.
In the solo realm, Graham has won the North American Championships at Maxville seven times, the Agnew-Harrison Invitational six times, the Kansas City Gold Medal, and has been a Finalist at the World Solo Drumming Championships.
Graham is a full time drumming instructor at the renowned St. Thomas Episcopal School in Houston Texas. He also teaches private lessons, workshops, and schools internationally. Graham is a certified judge with the Piper’s and Pipe Band Society of Ontario, and has previously sat on the society’s music board. Also a prolific composer, Graham released his first book of music “A Tap and a Roll” in 2013.
Tenor/Bass Drum
Originally from Toronto, Canada, Andrew Elliott now lives in Houston, Texas, where he teaches drumming at the Saint Thomas’ Episcopal School. As a member of the Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band, Andrew has won every RSPBA major title, including 4 World Pipe Band Championships and 1 Best Drum Corps title since joining the band in 2013. As a solo player, Andrew has won the American, Canadian, and North American Championships on numerous occasions as well as being a 7 time MHAF Gold Medal winner, and the only person to have ever won in both bass and tenor drumming. In addition to competing, Andrew is one of the most highly sought teachers, having taught at workshops across North America, UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. When not teaching or competing, Andrew runs Ace Percussion, manufacturing the world’s first fully customizable hand-made tenor and bass sticks and drumming products.