In 1937, he joined the army and met Bourvil and Louiguy (composer of La Vie en rose). He entered the Conservatoire de Paris with Eugène Foveau where he won the 2nd Prize for cornet in 1939.
From 1940 to 1943, he was a prisoner in Germany. In 1944, he won the 2nd Trumpet Prize and the First Prize in 1945.
In 1946, he was hired by the Moroccan Radio Orchestra in Rabat and at the Théâtre municipal de Casablanca [fr] where he also taught at the Conservatory. In 1954, he became a professor at the Conservatoire National de Région de Dijon as well as principal trumpet of the Orchestre du Théâtre.
Marcel Caens is violinist Maurice Caens' nephew. He is the father of trumpeter Thierry Caens, saxophonist Jean-Pierre Caens, Hervé Caens, a music teacher, and Joëlle Caens (épouse Guidot).
