Marcus Daniel

Marcus Daniel is from India and began learning the piano there at the age of seven. His father, who was a pianist and choir director was his first teacher. He was classically trained and was also playing in a rock band when he discovered jazz. He loved the spontaneity and creativity of the genre and it was a perfect fit for his personality. Jazz teachers were hard to come by in India, but he did find a teacher who gave him a good foundation.

He came to the US to get his Bachelor of Music and learned and played a lot of jazz piano during this time. He returned to India after this, where he taught in schools and played jazz gigs. He came back to the US to get his Masters in Music Education from the University of Maryland. He played in the big band and jazz combos there. Though in the music education department, he spent most of his time in the jazz department. 

During a jam session in Maryland, one of the jazz teaching assistants advised him that if he wanted to pursue his jazz studies further, he could get a doctorate in performance at George Mason University, not too far away, and it would be and excellent environment for jazz. 

This has now become a reality. Marcus has begun his DMA at Mason and also serves as a graduate teaching assistant, teaching jazz piano skills and music theory.