Replacing someone like Dean Kratz, who spent 45 years dedicated to teaching music and the word of God at Lutheran North, could seem intimidating to a 2018 graduate of Concordia University Chicago. But Jared Brown is full of enthusiasm, anxious to share his love of God and his passion for music with the student body.

As the son of a DCE and a Lutheran school teacher, Jaren grew up "in the Midwest" moving around a lot as a kid. His family's commitment to a deep faith and an active church life allowed Jared to share his faith and love for music by being involved in youth groups and praise band activities at his home congregation as a young man. While in high school in Morton, IL, his talent in music flourished as a member of the marching band that was a 13th time class AA state champion and currently holds the title of 5th best band in Illinois. After high school, Jared enrolled at CUC to study music education under the tutelage of some of the best Lutheran music professors. He was the principal clarinet player for 5 years, participating in concerts all across the country and performed with the Wind Symphony's South Africa tour in the summer of 2017.

Lutheran North and the LHSA looks forward to having this young man as a faculty member. And so is Jared Brown; to quote him, "I can't wait to see what kind of amazing things God can do through this opportunity."