Explore UAB

Trailblazing Alumni Chris McCauley February 04, 2025

For Alec Jones, music is more than a hobby—it’s a way of life.From left to right: Alec Jones, Stevie Wonder, Henry Panion III, Ph.D.From left to right: Alec Jones, Stevie Wonder, Henry Panion III, Ph.D.

“I’ve been doing music since I was five,” said Jones, a recent alumnus of the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Department of Music. “Music has always been in my bloodline.”

While attending Chelsea High School, Jones participated in the drumline, but he also discovered new aspects of music that aligned with his interests in cars, wiring, and fixing things.

“I’m a big car nerd—I’m a big guy on wiring and putting stuff together,” said Jones. “I guess my first time really diving into the music tech world was when I got my first laptop, and I started playing with Logic [recording software] … I was like, ‘Oh, okay, I like this!’”

The next step was finding a college program that would allow him to study music technology and potentially pursue a career as a producer. Thankfully, after a little searching on the internet, Jones discovered the music technology concentration at UAB.

“I [didn’t] see another school that has this type of opportunity,” said Jones. “Especially in the state of Alabama.”

Jones enrolled at UAB and dove deep into the music program, performing with the UAB Marching Blazers, as well as in the wind symphony and percussion ensembles. Although his performance experiences were gratifying, he was still interested in learning more about music technology. Then came Assistant Professor Craig Brandwein’s course, “Recording Technologies.”

“Seeing the studio setup, recording—I fell in love with that type of stuff,” said Jones. “The fixing side of me came out.”

That “fixing side” prompted him to pivot from being a producer to an audio engineer—and he found plenty of ways (both inside and outside of the classroom) to explore that path. He took more music technology courses, became an audio engineer at a nearby church, and served as an engineer at the T-Pain concert on the UAB Campus Green in Fall 2023. According to Jones, the cheers from the crowd at the T-Pain concert confirmed that he was on the right track.

In addition to these experiences, Jones crossed paths with Henry Panion III, Ph.D., University Professor of Music and award-winning composer. Jones took “Computer Music III” with Panion, and, through that experience, learned about Panion’s extraordinary life in music.

“I talked to him about his experiences, and I grew close to him,” said Jones. “Getting to learn a lot from that man has been a blessing.”

And Jones made a big impression on Panion too.

“I could not be prouder of Alec, an amazing young man who will surely make his mark in the profession,” said Panion. “Though this may sound somewhat cliché, put simply, Alec has it!”

According to Jones, as he approached graduation this past fall, he decided to text Panion and ask if he had any recommendations for potential jobs. Soon after the text, they were on the phone chatting and Panion asked, “Would you like to go on tour?”

For any young audio engineer, an invitation to go on tour is significant. But this wasn't a handful of club gigs with an unknown band–this was a 12-city tour with the one-and-only Stevie Wonder. Jones didn't miss a beat, and, within no time, he was serving as orchestra librarian, managing a 60-pound case full of Panion's scores, arranged and orchestrated for Stevie Wonder over three decades. From performing in sold-out arenas such as Madison Square Garden in New York to Crypto Arena in Los Angeles, it was the opportunity of a lifetime, and Jones leaned into it.

“Meeting everyone on the tour … everyone was humble,” said Jones. “Just [so many] learning experiences from those guys. I finally met [Stevie] at the last show in Chicago. He was so humble. He’s funny. He’ll talk your head off.”

According to Panion, there was no doubt that Jones would be successful on the tour.

“In addition to being a talented musician, a high achiever academically, and just the nicest guy, he possesses a level of drive, dedication, and self-motivation that is the requisite formula needed to achieve the highest level of success in the music industry, and is the reason I invited him to serve as my librarian on the tour,” said Panion.

When Jones returned from the tour in late-December 2024, his momentum only continued to increase. He now plans to earn his master’s from Berklee College of Music, and, in the meantime, he’s staying busy with an array of jobs. He is an audio engineer for Backstage Productions, a drumline instructor at Chelsea High School (his alma mater), and an engineer and musician at Rebirth Christian Fellowship Church. No matter what he’s doing, for Jones, it all comes back to one simple priority.

“I like seeing the smile on people’s faces,” said Jones. “That is my main reason for doing music.”

There’s very little doubt that Jones will continue putting many smiles on many faces.



More News

  • Theatre UAB presents “The Revolutionists,” Feb. 26-March 2
  • 5 things a philosopher learned from diving deep into neuroscience
  • UAB to host Alabama State Spelling Bee on March 22

Back to Top