Healing
Through Music
Mt. Lebanon band director Brett McCutcheon transforms personal grief into a global message of love and healing through his award-winning music and documentary. BY NICOLE TAFE
When tragedy struck in September 2017, Franklin Park native and North Allegheny graduate Brett McCutcheon found himself searching for a way to process his grief. His older brother Ryan— a talented percussionist— was killed in a car accident at just 19 years old. For Brett, who was also just a teenager at the time, music became the bridge from heartbreak to healing.
Now 24 and director of bands at Mt. Lebanon High School, Brett continues to carry his brother’ s memory forward through a powerful project that has touched audiences around the world. In addition to leading the school’ s concert bands, he has also assumed leadership of the Mt. Lebanon marching band program. A graduate of Slippery Rock University’ s music department, Brett has spent years composing and collaborating on what would eventually become“ The Ocean – Five Years,” a music album and documentary film that explores grief, memory and love.
“ I have always had a great passion for creating music,” says Brett.“ Starting at the age of 4 and while living in Prague, I took on piano lessons to perform in the school’ s assembly. This later turned into performing on saxophone and percussion in high school, where I decided I wanted to go into the music education field. Expressing myself through music and teaching others to learn that same ability is a large reason why I found music education so fascinating.”
That passion took on deeper meaning after Ryan’ s passing. Together with close friend and vocalist June Bracken, Brett began
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