For more than 20 years, Marshall Butler has taught students the joy of music as the choral director for Jesse O. Sanderson High School. He has been recognized for excellence in music education at the local, state, and national level and he was among the first group of teachers to receive National Board for Professional Teachers Certification in Music in 2002. In 2014, the North Carolina Symphony presented him with the Maxine Swalin award, an award to recognize outstanding music educators. His students have performed for communities and governors and across the globe, including Orlando, Washington, New York, Italy and London.

Marshall Butler was inducted into the Wake County Public School System Hall of Fame in 2015.