Malcolm joined the CCF band, partly as a means of avoiding dress parades. Although the bandsmen had to be very presentable, there was not the dreaded weekly inspection as with the others parts of the cadet force.

Malcolm started as a side-drummer in 1956 but progressed to the bass drum in his last year in 1958. He can be seen on the extreme left of this picture taken around 1957. The drumming sequences were learned by listening. The lead drummer would tap out an eight bar sequence then the remainder would copy it together. Sometimes the lead drummer would get a bit tricky and play something unusual or complicated but the remainder normally responded well. When Malcolm took over the bass drum, he added his own touch to the beating, in particular, adding a flourish of four beats in the last bar of a sement. He was also inclined to use the left hand for a double beat during some marching.

The band would play at events such as the annual CCF inspection and the Beating of the Retreat at the end of Speech Day and parents would be present for the latter. A drummer was also allocate the set the pace for the Headmaster's callover each year.