Acclaimed jazz drummer and musicologist Kevin C. McDonald is Adjunct Professor of Applied Jazz Percussion at George Mason University and drummer for the U.S. Navy Band Commodores, the Navy's premier jazz ensemble. From venues including Kennedy Center and Jazz at Lincoln Center to The White House, he has shared the concert stage with Dave Liebman, Mark Turner, Paquito D’Rivera, Miguel Zenon, Maria Schneider, Bob Mintzer, Randy Brecker, Lee Konitz, and the New York City Ballet. His latest publication is "Max Roach: Deeds, Not Words" in Leading Figures in the History of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Vol. 1, ed. Judson L. Jeffries (UFP, 2025). His work has been featured by prestigious academic fora, including the American Musicological Society (AMS), Jazz Education Network (JEN), and Midwest Clinic. He holds a Ph.D. in musicology from the Catholic University of America, where he was a student of Andrew H. Weaver; he holds a M.M. from Manhattan School of Music, where he was a student of John Riley. He is a proud endorsing artist for Yamaha drums, Zildjian cymbals, Vic Firth drumsticks, and Remo drumheads. 

 

[Ph.D., Catholic Univ.; M.M., MSM; B.M., Eastman]