For pianist, composer, educator, and YouTuber Dan Musselman, instrumental worship has become a way of accompanying listeners through some of life's most intimate moments-from weddings and births to final goodbyes. But his own journey has included an unexpected upheaval: the sudden closure of McNally Smith College of Music in 2017 left him grieving both a job and a community he considered his mission field. In this interview, Musselman reflects on the remarkable timing of his YouTube breakthrough, the musical family that shaped his faith, and how his new album, Dust and Doxology, offers praise through the imperfections of an open upright piano.
Q: For readers discovering you for the first time, who is Dan Musselman, and how have your experiences as a musician, educator, composer, and YouTuber shaped your ministry?
I'm the instrumental Christian music guy! I primarily record solo piano arrangements of worship music, and I also founded The Lofi Christian with a bunch of great friends. I've been creating music like this for over ten years, and it has made me more aware of and grateful for the global Church. I'm also deeply honored and blown away by the moments I hear about where my music was present-the birth of a child, the processional in a wedding, at the moment of passing of a parent or spouse. I honestly get quite emotional hearing these stories. It's surreal and a wonderful blessing to be a small part of how God orchestrates these poignant moments.
Q: Music has been part of your life since childhood, with your parents, your brother, and you all involved in music. How did growing up in such a musical family influence your sound and your understanding of music as worship?
I started playing piano when I was five, and I am so incredibly grateful for my parents. They spent countless hours sitting alongside and guiding me at home while I practiced. Music was deeply embedded in our family culture. I can't remember a time when I ever thought I was going to do anything other than music professionally. My dad is also a pastor, and my mom was deeply involved in kids' ministry. Church and music went hand in hand, and I had so many opportunities to play for church in many contexts-piano for prelude in a traditional service, guitar in the worship team, even handbells. Music and worship were always a combined expression since I was a child.
Q: The sudden closure of McNally Smith College of Music in 2017 brought the loss of both your job and a close-knit community. How did God sustain you during that difficult transition, and what did the experience teach you about trusting his direction?
McNally Smith was a special place, and its sudden closing was so hard for so many, myself included. I remember it clearly as I walked in one day: God told me this place was my mission field. It was such an honor to love this community and share Jesus with them! And when the school closed, I felt not only the financial ramifications of losing a job I loved, but also the vacuum of a calling. We had people in our church family be so generous in that time. Every time we wondered where financial provision would come from, God would surprise us through our friends and family in such a wonderful way.
Q: Just two weeks before the college closed, your YouTube audience began growing dramatically. Looking back, how do you see God's providence in the timing, and how has the platform changed the way you connect with listeners?
Yes! Two weeks before McNally Smith shut down, I had a YouTube video go viral. That video has over 20 million views today! God knew that one door was closing. And he had already started to open the next one, before I even knew I needed it. And it started a whole new season of purpose and mission.
Q: Your new album is titled Dust and Doxology. What does that title mean to you, and how do the songs hold together human frailty, life's difficult seasons, and the call to praise God?
From dust we came, and to dust we shall return. It's amazing to me that even though we are so small and fragile...God wants us. He loves it when we praise him, when we spend time with him. Dust and Doxology is about our frailty and lowly nature, while also reflecting on the eternal story God is writing.I recorded this on an open upright piano-revealing all the mechanical noises and imperfections. Likewise, I pray that this is an open offering to God. That despite our flaws, God accepts and delights in our "doxology" to him.
Q: Which songs on Dust and Doxology feel especially personal to you, and what do you hope listeners will encounter spiritually as they spend time with the album?
"Doxology" is my favorite on the album. It was one of the first arrangements I composed while working toward the project, and I feel like it most encapsulates the heart and meaning of the album. I pray that people spiritually encounter God's peace and presence as they spend time with this music. Wherever they may be personally-feeling like dust, perhaps-they can always lift their eyes and offer their doxology to an eternal God who loves them infinitely.
Find Dan's Music On YouTube, Apple Music, And Spotify.
