Daniel Jones received his BA in Music from Sonoma State University in 1981. He did his graduate work at the University of Colorado Boulder, receiving his MM in Musicology/Music Theory in 1984 and his Ph.D in Musicology in 1991. His specialty as a musicologist is American music, particularly folk and popular musics. His areas of research and publication include early American psalmody, country music, and music theory.
As a performing musician, Dr. Jones is a freelance pedal steel guitarist in the greater Boulder-Denver area. Currently, he enjoys playing live with his own instrumental group, Standard Deviations, and doing studio work on call.
In addition to teaching for the Honors Program, Dr. Jones serves as the Director of their Honors LEAD Neighborhood, part of the CU-LEAD Alliance, a set of academic learning communities whose students, faculty, and staff are united to promote inclusive excellence.
Outside of his music and work for CU, he is a mountain dweller and loves outdoor recreational activities such as hiking, camping, cross country skiing, and snowshoeing. He enjoys woodworking, house projects, cooking, and being a family guy. At heart, Dr. Jones is a folky and a humanist.