Marcus S. Grant (b.1992) has been hailed by his mentors and professional colleagues as a “multi-dimensional professional”, a “caring and nurturing” teacher, and an “extremely accomplished composer/arranger” whose “intelligence, passion, and good nature [are] all immediately apparent”.
As a highly-experienced musician and performer, Mr. Grant has performed at the American Bandmasters Association Conference, the National Trumpet Competition, the International Trumpet Guild Conference, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championships, Carnegie Hall, and more. Prior to his trumpet-playing career, he has also given performances as a vocalist in the Richmond Boys Choir for James Brown, Coretta Scott King (the wife of Dr. Martin Luther King), the general assembly of Virginia, and former President George Bush Sr.
A celebrated and renowned composer and arranger, Marcus' award-winning music is performed regularly at dozens of conferences and hundreds of recitals by world-class musicians across the globe. Marcus is a self-published composer, as well as a published arranger for the world’s leading online sheet music distributor, Musicnotes.com.
As a private lessons teacher, Mr. Grant has worked one-on-one with over 300 students, getting students accepted into All-District and All-Virginia Honor Bands, marching for world-class Drum Corps, and studying at a variety of college music programs across the country. Currently, 100% of his students who have applied to college music schools have been accepted.
As a social media content creator and video producer, his music-related videos across all social media platforms boast a total of more than 15 million views.
Outside of his day-job, Marcus serves on the Board of Directors as the for the National Trumpet Competition, where he has also served as a performer, guest clinician, featured conductor, and finalist judge. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Diversify the Stand, an organization actively dedicated to working with diverse musical voices to create accessible educational music for everyone.
Marcus received his Bachelor's degree in Instrumental Music Education from Virginia Commonwealth University and his Master's Degree in Trumpet Performance from Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, with an outside area in Arts Administration. His primary trumpet teachers have included Rex Richardson, Kevin Maloney, and Joey Tartell.
“Marcus is an extraordinary musician and pedagogue; an extremely accomplished composer/arranger, a wonderful trumpeter as you can hear, and one of the best teachers I’ve ever observed. I’m so happy to count him as a former student (from whom I learned AT LEAST as much as he learned from me!), a friend and esteemed colleague.”
- Rex Richardson, Internationally-Acclaimed Yamaha-Sponsored Performing Artist
"I've had the pleasure of watching Marcus grow from a hardworking graduate student into a multi-dimensional professional. Performing, composing, and teaching were all areas in which Marcus had strong interests. Many people would choose one area thinking that's what is 'required' to succeed. I couldn't be happier to see Marcus succeeding in all areas, as he has so much to offer."
-Joey Tartell, Brass Department Chair at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music; former lead trumpeter in Maynard Ferguson's Big Band