Jazz Drums Professor Jason Marsalis is joining the UCF Music faculty this fall and is excited to teach students the positive impact of music. Part of a legendary family of music, Marsalis is hoping to make his late father proud. In an interview with News 6, Marsalis says that his father Ellis Marsalis, a pianist and educator, taught him so much.
“I talked with him a lot, not only music, but how it relates to life and people,” Marsalis said. “I’d like to take from his example. He would deal with teaching students whatever it is they (needed) to learn. It wasn’t even about music but just whatever they needed to learn to make their life better.”
Director of Jazz Studies Jeff Rupert says that not only will students get to learn with him, but they will be able to perform with him. “The students play (instruments) with the faculty to get graded,” Rupert said. “Imagine you’re in chemistry and you say, ‘You’ll get to do a chemistry experiment with the professor to get your grade.’ Well, that’s who we roll here at UCF.”