Some people will spend their whole lives trying to find out who they are and what they will succeed in. Sometimes even questioning what they love. But Daniel Sumner knew from the age of seven that he wanted to play guitar.

“I’m a guitar player. I’ve always been a guitar player. And I perform all over the world,” Sumner said.

Daniel Sumner is the assistant music education and guitar professor on campus. He helped start the guitar program in 2010 because he felt that it was time for guitar players to have their moment among the school system.

After Sumner’s first year, he transformed the Annual Guitar Day into the Annual Guitar Festival – a weeklong celebration of guitar players in the community.

Sumner remembers picking up his first guitar when he was in first grade. But at that young age, the body is not physical ready for the guitar so it didn’t go very well.

Sumner took up piano and cello in the meantime, but as he grew older his heart would eventually lead him back to the guitar.

When he was 13-years-old, Sumner decided that if he saved up the money and bought a guitar then he was going to become the best guitarist in his hometown of Indianapolis, Ind. He even lived the American teenaged boy’s dream and joined a rock band in high school.

“We did pretty well and my parents were always very supportive of my guitar playing,” Sumner said.

He is currently in a band called The Louis Romanos Quartet.

Although The Louis Romanos Quartet’s music is based in jazz, there is something for everyone in this four-man group.

“It doesn’t sound like grandparent’s jazz. It’s very modern and rocking,” said Sumner. “We use a lot of elements of rock, drum and bass. Anything classical, too.”

All of the music on their website is recorded live from their concerts.

Sumner uses his touring opportunities to meet the local and young guitar players. He makes sure that the Louis Romanos Quartet always makes time to perform at local high schools in between jazz clubs, concert halls and festivals.

“We meet students, have them play for us and we play for them,” said Sumner. “We work with them.”

But recruiting students from around the country takes a lot more effort than just convincing the students that ULM is the place for them.

Recruiting is a long-term prospect and it takes a while to develop a relationship with the students.

Sumner has met many aspiring guitarists from California and is in contact with many more in New Orleans.

“That is tough recruiting for us because [the University of New Orleans] and [the University of Louisiana at Lafayette] have a great guitar program. And I am competing directly with them,” Sumner said.

But Sumner could never forget about Monroe’s own local guitarists.

“I heard Daniel Sumner play the guitar. And then heard him say ‘I’ll teach you’ and that was enough for me,” said guitar student John Farmer.

Sumner showed him the different paths he could take with a performance degree and Farmer taught guitar lessons at Zeagler’s Music full time until it closed this past year.