in music composition at SUNY Stony Brook; and in 2004 a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from the CUNY Graduate Centerwith a dissertation called "An Ethnoarchaeological Investigation of Highland Guatemalan Maya Dance-Plays."
In 1983 he formed an avant-garde post-rock band called Better Than Death (BTD) with bass clarinetist Michael Lytle.
In 1986 he collaborated with Etron Fou saxophonist, Bruno Meillier to form a Euro-American group called Zero Pop.
Howell played guitar on the Curlew record, North America, and met Martin Bisi, Rick Brown, Tom Cora, and Fred Frith.
In 1989 he and Frith, Nick Didkovsky, and Rene Lussier formed the Fred Frith Guitar Quartet.In 1989 Howell formed a third band, Timber, with drummer, Rick Brown and bass player, Faye Hunter who was later replaced by Jenny Wade.
In addition to his band work, Howell has composed for Lynn Shapiro (at the American Dance Festival 1994), Amy Sue Rosen, Diane Torr, and Stephanie Artz.
“The Concise ISGMA Handbook of Music Archaeological Practice.” Eds., Mark Howell, Graeme Lawson, and Stefan Hagel (to be on-line in 2013).
“Tzunam Bailes and the Role of Music Instruments in Precolumbian Highland Guatemala.” In Orient Archäologie Band 27 Studien zum Musikarchäologie VIII .
“A Hermeneutic Re-examination of Select Commentaries on Aztec Music.” In Orient Archäologie Band 25 Studien zum Musikarchäologie VII.
“Music Syncretism in the Postclassic K’iche’ Warrior Dance and the Colonial Period Baile de los Moros y Cristianos.” In Maya Worldviews at Conquest.