In 1987, when Dean McNeill was preparing for his final recital in MacEwan's music program, his instructor and renowned bandleader Tommy Banks gave him advice he would never forget. "Be as versatile as possible" are words that shaped that concert and went on to define McNeill's career.

"That graduation recital was a big deal," says the Distinguished Alumni Award recipient. "I played some classical music, brought in the Edmonton Youth Orchestra brass and percussion section, put together a big band, wrote some original music, played a duo with Paul Shihadeh (now a well-known U.S. bass player), worked on lighting and staging, and even used electronic effects pedals on one tune on my trumpet. It was a crazy mixture of stuff – perhaps not the most coherent concert program, but looking back, it set the stage for me. I wasn't just playing music; I was producing a concert.”

McNeill has jumped trumpet-first into countless roles and projects in the three-and-a-half decades that followed. He has shared the stage as an elite trumpeter with an impressive list of performers and productions, including big touring shows like Chicago and the Book of Mormon. He has spent the last 25 years as a professor of brass and jazz at the University of Saskatchewan. He has toured Canada and recorded and produced more than 15 albums. He's a composer. He's a musical director for large-scale events, including the Texas Lone Star Film Awards and the Saskatchewan Arts Board Gala. He even assembled a 40-piece choir and 45-piece orchestra to back The Eagles when they visited Saskatoon last summer. 

"In my experience, the music business is anything but linear," he says. "There are peaks and troughs. That's why I'm so glad that I learned early on that versatility would be an important marker of my career and a recipe that would work out well for me." 

In a time when music is ubiquitous and often free, adds McNeill, it might seem easy to think of a career in music as having little worth. He disagrees wholeheartedly.

"I learned during my time at MacEwan that the work musicians do is important, and I still believe that today," he says. "I don't have grand illusions that I am changing the world, but I think music  makes the world  a better place, and I’m thankful to be a music maker and music facilitator."

And as a music prof, McNeill knows that type of education has much to offer. "Musicians learn to be creative problem solvers, to work both independently and collaboratively, to check their egos at the door and receive constructive criticism without taking it personally, and to be expressive and artistic. These are all very important and transferable skill sets."

They're also skills McNeill says he first learned to hone at MacEwan from instructors who were professional musicians. "We were learning from people like Tommy Banks and Bobby Cairns during the day and then going to listen to them play gigs that same night. It really was special." 

And he feels the same way about the city he still considers home. 

"When I play in the Yardbird Suite or Allard Hall, I have this strong sense that music is still important and valued here. That people are willing to pay for it, work hard for it and do it at a very high level. It's something special I see in Edmonton.”

That doesn't mean the music prof isn't fully committed to the communities and students he now serves in Saskatchewan. 

"I try, like my mentors at MacEwan did, to lead by example, be willing to embrace risk and to keep paying it forward," says McNeill. "Seeing my former students, many of whom are now my professional colleagues as players, teachers and writers, doing the same is incredibly rewarding." 

His thoughts on joining the ranks of MacEwan's distinguished alumni?

"MacEwan is a special place to me. Most people only include their most recent degree in their credentials, but I make sure my MacEwan diploma is right up there. I was so honoured and thrilled to be named a distinguished alum. I'm proud to have taken the sparks lit during my time at MacEwan and used them to fuel a professional career that has, added to the cultural capital of Saskatchewan."