He has also worked as a consultant for the Armenian Library and Museum of America, the Smithsonian Institution, and Folkways Alive!
McCollum is the author of Armenian Music: A Comprehensive Bibliography and Discography (Scarecrow Press, 2004)[3][4][5] and has contributed to many other volumes.
[7] McCollum holds the specialized Shihan 師範 (Master’s) license in shakuhachi performance and teaching,[8] with the professional name (natori) “Kenzen (研禅)” earned primarily through studies under Dai Shihan (Grand Master) Michael Chikuzen Gould.
[9] As a professional performer, McCollum has also contributed to virtual instrument sample libraries; he is the shakuhachi player for Stealth Wind software (on Unearthed Sampling’s Kontakt platform), which is widely used by professional soundtrack composers for videos and films.
He is a fully transmitted teacher (sensei) with the White Plum Asanga and an ordained Sōtō Zen priest.