• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Catholic Review

Catholic Review

Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Menu
  • Home
  • News
        • Local News
        • World News
        • Vatican News
        • Obituaries
        • Featured Video
        • En Español
  • Commentary
        • Contributors
          • Bishop Robert Barron
          • George Weigel
          • Question Corner
          • Effie Caldarola
          • John Garvey
          • Father Ed Dougherty, M.M.
          • Guest Commentary
        • CR Columnists
          • Archbishop William E. Lori
          • Rita Buettner
          • Suzanna Molino Singleton
          • Christopher Gunty
          • George Matysek Jr.
          • Paul McMullen
          • Father Joseph Breighner
          • Father Collin Poston
          • Father T. Austin Murphy Jr.
          • Robyn Barberry
          • Hanael Bianchi
          • Amen Columns
  • Entertainment
        • Events
        • Movie Reviews
        • Arts & Culture
        • Books
  • About Us
        • Contact Us
        • Our History
        • Meet Our Staff
        • Photos to own
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
  • Advertising
  • CR Radio
  • Printing
  • Subscribe
Playing the tuba is one of Father Kevin Mueller's passions. (George P. Matysek Jr./CR Staff)

Tuba-toting priest is top brass

George P. Matysek Jr. May 19, 2007
By George P. Matysek Jr.
Catholic Review
Filed Under: Local News, News

By George P. Matysek Jr.

gmatysek@CatholicReview.org

HAGERSTOWN – Balancing a shiny brass tuba on his thigh, Father Kevin Mueller took a deep breath and pumped a lungful of air into the slightly-dented instrument.

At the priest’s command, the tuba sprang to life – filling his rectory office with deeply resonant, low-pitched oom-pahs that flew out of the big horn at a breakneck pace.

With New Orleans-style jazz music blasting from his computer, the pastor of St. Mary in Hagerstown enthusiastically played along with the peppy tunes, tapping a foot in time with the ragtime beat and clearly loving every minute of it.

“Now that’s my kind of stuff!” Father Mueller exclaimed, pausing from his short practice session and adjusting the volume even louder.

“Hear that banjo cranking away?” he asked. “That’s fantastic! It certainly is happy. It’s upbeat. It’s cool.”

When Father Mueller needs to unwind from a long day’s work, music is his refuge. Playing mostly by ear, the priest has enjoyed playing the tuba and piano for many years and he’s now working on sharpening his skills on the clarinet.

“I sit in with the school band,” said Father Mueller, noting that he also played the clarinet with the school bands of his other parish assignments at St. John, Westminster, and Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Essex.

“I’m at their level,” he explained with a laugh. “I do it to practice. I don’t stir things up.”

The students enjoy seeing a different side of their pastor, he said, and he loves being part of an ensemble. The multi-talented priest’s dream is to play the tuba in a 1920s dance band, but there are none that he knows of in Hagerstown.

“No one plays that kind of music anymore,” he lamented. “It’s a sadness for me.”

Father Mueller said he is a fan of jazz greats like Fletcher Henderson, Bennie Moten and Luis Russell. He doesn’t care for modern music – and by “modern” he means anything from the Swing Era on.

The most difficult part of playing the tuba is having good embouchure – the position of the mouth, lips and teeth on the mouthpiece, he said.

“After playing for a while, you lose power and air comes out the side of your mouth,” said Father Mueller, who doesn’t get to play his tuba as often as he would like. “You have to build up strength over time.”

Musicianship runs in the Mueller family. The priest’s grandfather was a well-known accordionist and pianist who played at prominent Baltimore hotels.

While St. Augustine famously said that he who sings prays twice, Father Mueller admitted that he doesn’t get much spiritually from his love for music.

“When I hear music – even spiritual music – I get into it too much,” he explained. “I’m paying too much attention to the music itself. Singing as prayer doesn’t work for me.”

Copyright © 2007 Catholic Review Media

Print Print

Primary Sidebar

George P. Matysek Jr.

George P. Matysek Jr.

George Matysek was named digital editor of the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 2017 following two decades at the Catholic Review, where he began as a writer and then served as senior correspondent, assistant managing editor and web editor.

In his current role, he manages archbalt.org and CatholicReview.org and is a host of Catholic Review Radio.

George has won more than 70 national and regional journalism and broadcasting awards from the Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association, the Catholic Press Association, the Associated Church Press and National Right to Life. He has reported from Guyana, Guatemala, Italy, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.

A native Baltimorean, George is a proud graduate of Our Lady of Mount Carmel High School in Essex. He holds a bachelor's degree from Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore and a master's degree from UMBC.

George, his wife and five children live in Rodgers Forge, where they are parishioners of St. Pius X, Rodgers Forge/St. Mary of the Assumption, Govans.

View all posts from this author

For the latest news delivered twice a week via email or text message, sign up to receive our free enewsletter.

Latest Local News

Father John Lesnick, known for compassionate outreach, dies at 71

Deacon Davis, who served Overlea parish for decades, dies at 84

Archdiocese of Baltimore plans ‘Safe Haven Sunday’ to fight pornography

Pasadena parish cites pandemic in decision to close preschool

Father Snouffer, information technology trailblazer for archdiocese, dies at 83

Latest World News

Health care chaplains in Baltimore and beyond embrace self-care in COVID-19 work

Religious order withdraws request to transfer founder’s remains to U.S.

Heroes of love: New pathway open for future saints

Bishops: If passed, Equality Act will ‘discriminate against people of faith

Cardinal prays on CNN program marking 500,000 COVID-19 deaths in U.S.

Catholic Review Radio

CatholicReview · Catholic Review Radio

Footer

Our Vision

Catholic Review Media communicates the Gospel and its impact on people’s lives in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and beyond.

Our Mission

Catholic Review Media provides intergenerational communications that inform, teach, inspire and engage Catholics and all of good will in the mission of Christ through diverse forms of media.

Contact

Catholic Review
320 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
443-524-3150
mail@CatholicReview.org

 

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent

  • Father John Lesnick, known for compassionate outreach, dies at 71
  • A Lent full of promise, steak success, cooking with children, and more (7 Quick Takes)
  • Archbishop Lori reflects on the Year of St. Joseph
  • Health care chaplains in Baltimore and beyond embrace self-care in COVID-19 work
  • Religious order withdraws request to transfer founder’s remains to U.S.
  • Deacon Davis, who served Overlea parish for decades, dies at 84
  • Reason for celibacy/ Blessing for non-sacramental marriage?
  • Archdiocese of Baltimore plans ‘Safe Haven Sunday’ to fight pornography
  • Heroes of love: New pathway open for future saints
  • Some English Catholics object to transfer of nun’s remains to Philadelphia

Search

Membership

Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada

Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association

The Associated Church Press

© 2021 CATHOLIC REVIEW MEDIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED