\nImagine being a killer musician, being able to shred the guitar to any song that is played on the guitar. Imagine being able to just play a killer drum solo at any point in time. This is what Father Patrick Friend has been practicing for his entire life.
\nFather Friend has an interesting behind the scenes life. Many people didn\u2019t know about him before this year that he plays music. A lot of people now know he plays music because of a video that the school released on Facebook, but most don\u2019t know the backstory behind his music.
\nFather Friend started playing music when he was in first grade. He said, \u201cMy father told me when I was in first grade, \u2018boy, you are going to take piano lessons,\u2019 so I did.\u201d His dad told him to play the piano because, as Father Friend said, \u201cMusic has always been a big part of my family. There was always some music playing around the house.\u201d
\nHis dad was into all sorts of music. Father Friend said, \u201cMy dad listened to mostly everything. He loved church music and hymns but he also loved funk songs like \u2018Funky Cold Medina\u2019 and \u2018Brick House.\u2019\u201d Father Friend continued to take piano lessons from first to eighth grade. He stopped because he said, \u201cI didn\u2019t like the classical way she [Father Friend\u2019s piano teacher] was teaching me.\u201d
\nAfter quitting piano lessons, he had to pick a new instrument, he said, \u201cI picked the guitar because I liked the way it sounded. I took lessons from a guy my freshman year at Catholic High, but I had to stop taking lessons from him because he joined a band. After I stopped taking lessons, I joined a band at Catholic and they all went to college in Fayetteville and called themselves Goose.\u201d
\nThe next step in his life was to go to the seminary, and as Mrs. Hartnedy said, \u201cThey encourage the seminarians to pick up an instrument while in the seminary.\u201d So, Father Friend found a few people who listened and joined a new band in the seminary.
\nFather Friend has also inspired people to pick up an instrument for themselves, Mrs. Hartnedy said, \u201cHe helped my son, John Paul, to learn how to play guitar through a group at Christ the King called Team Jesus.\u201d After he inspired John Paul to play guitar, Mrs. Hartnedy says, \u201cJohn Paul joined a mariachi band.\u201d And now that John Paul knows how to play guitar, he, Father Friend, and many other seminarians and priests played at a banquet held to support vocations in Arkansas. Trevor Luyet attended the banquet. He said, \u201cFather Friend was very all over the place, and when they played the song \u20187 Nation Army,\u2019 he was going crazy on the drums.\u201d
\nFather Friend has some advice for students. He said, \u201cIf you want to be good at anything, not just music, you need to practice for at least 20 minutes every day.\u201d<\/p>\n