Brandon Marcus' business card will tell you he teaches voice. His students will tell you he is also their greatest ally and cheering squad. Marcus, owner and director of The Studio in Daphne, has …
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Brandon Marcus' business card will tell you he teaches voice. His students will tell you he is also their greatest ally and cheering squad.
Marcus, owner and director of The Studio in Daphne, has been honored with a national award by Mortar Board, the national college senior honor society that in part recognizes his dedication to not just teaching, but building resilience and confidence in his students.
"I've loved the arts ever since I was born and now, I get to share that passion and teach our kids how art is not just something we do. It heals us. It helps us communicate and be a stronger person and be more confident," Marcus said. "Just getting to see the 'Ah ha' moment when a student figures out how to sing a song or figures out how to deal with a bully at school. That is something I would never be able to do anywhere else, at any other job and I'm so thankful for that."
Mortar Board has hundreds of chapters across college campuses that select the top students in each senior class based on service and academic achievement. Each year the group recognizes alumni who continue to embody Mortar Board's values of effective passion, service and achievement.
Marcus recently completed his 10th year of service to the organization and this year was tapped as one of only three recipients nationwide selected for the Emerging Leader Award.
The accolade notes remarkable professional accomplishment, community service and a commitment to the ideals of scholarship, leadership and service through profession. The award was presented during a recent online Zoom session, though Marcus will be honored during an in-person event in Little Rock, Arkansas this fall.
Marcus was selected for Mortar Board in 2011 as an undergraduate student at the University of South Alabama. He has gone on to serve in several national board roles for the organization. He was also recognized as Mobile Bay Magazine's 40 Under 40 Class of 2020, has received three Lagniappe Nappie Awards Best Local Theatrical Singer (2020), Best Local Actor (2014, 2015) and his studio was recognized by Gulf Coast Media's Best of Baldwin Awards in 2022 as the Best Youth Arts Training.
This year Marcus was also selected as one of 14 people to receive the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Joan Frey Boytim Independent Teacher Fellowship.
Mortar Board began in 1918 as an honor society strictly for women. Marcus said being selected for the award by an organization that is still predominantly managed by women is important to him.
"It tells me not only am I doing the right thing and following the right track, but I am also making an impact on others that is not just local, it's a national impact," Marcus said. "I pray that I am an inspiration to not just the students we work with, but also the parents and everyone I come in contact with every day."