Warner Robins teacher inspires students through music

Music for Feagin Mill Middle School teacher Lloyd McDonald is a passion that he enjoys sharing with his students.

A native of Warner Robins, McDonald spent the first 10 years of his teaching career in Covington and then moved back to his hometown about eight years ago. He’s been teaching for 19 years. This is his ninth year teaching grades 6-8 at Feagin Mill Middle School.

McDonald said he has taught high school in the past and at the collegiate level, but he really loves teaching middle school band. Not only is he Teacher of the Year for his school, but he was also one of the top 10 Teacher of the Year finalists.

He earned his music education degree and business administration degree from Georgia College of Milledgeville and his master’s degree from the University of Georgia.

McDonald’s spark for music began when he took beginning band in fifth grade at Shirley Hills Elementary School. He experienced band almost every day of his school life all through college.

McDonald is the director of a community band, Wellston Winds.

Why teaching?

“To share the enjoyment of music with others. Music has brought me so much fun, happiness and enjoyment and has given me experiences literally all over the country. I wanted to share that with other students so that they can have the kind of life-enriching experiences that music has brought me.”

What brought you into the field?

“All of those things.”

Any inspirations from past teachers?

“I can point to a handful of teachers who instilled in me a desire to do my best, the desire to excel. I have had a lot of musical mentors along the way that have helped shaped my approach to teaching and my approach to helping kids. I have had a multitude of excellent music teachers and band directors along the way, as well as academic teachers, who have shaped my approach to what I do.”

Best part of teaching?

“Seeing progress in kids, particularly in teaching beginning band and middle school band. I see the kids literally start from scratch. By the time they leave eighth grade, they’re playing beautiful music. You see very solid incremental progress when they start in beginning band all the way through. Then, even to witness my kids go on to high school and succeed. I have kids who are former students majoring in music at universities all over the southeast. Seeing that progress and seeing them grow is what continues to fuel me.”

What is it about teaching that you like the most?

“Progress and the interaction with kids. In middle school, everything is different every day. For the students, so much what we do is new that getting to see their eyes light up when they get a new concept or when we pass out a new piece of music and they dig into it and seeing them work on it and grow, that’s what I like most about it. My philosophy about teaching is that kids learn by doing and I want to give them as many opportunities to ‘do’ as possible. Giving kids those chances and exposing them to music and the connections it has to the world, that’s what I like about teaching.”

Most challenging part of teaching?

“The most challenging part is dealing with the multitude of challenges and personalities that come into the school setting. If teaching was just all about the fundamentals of music for me or the fundamentals of reading and math, that would be a piece of cake. But, when you’re dealing with kids, they come to school with baggage that they’ve gotten from their background or from things that are going on at home. There are so many hurdles that come with teaching kids and things that are out of our control. That’s what makes it the most challenging.”

Anything that makes your job difficult?

“What makes it difficult is being able to have enough tools in your toolbox to fix, repair, modify and adjust to all of the different variables that come your way. In the course of a day, I see 240 students. That’s 240 students who you can guarantee for some of them there was a fight at their house last night or some of them had to make their own breakfast this morning if there was anything at the house. Kids come with so many issues that don’t have anything to do with reading, writing or arithmetic. That’s what can be a real challenge as a teacher.”

If not teaching, what?

“If I were not in the teaching profession, I would either find something to do in the music world where I can continue to be a part of music or I like to ticker with things. I would find some little job where I could fix things. Most of what I do on a daily basis is troubleshooting. I’m constantly fixing things.”

Advice to students:

“Set a goal and work toward it. I think children and adults, alike, work best when they have some kind of goal in mind. If you’re just going through the steps or process for the sake of going through the process, it doesn’t mean as much. When I’ve seen kids grow, often times it’s when they have a goal in mind. Having some kind of goal in mind makes a big difference in your motivation and having a sense of direction.”

Advice to parents:

“Be involved with what your kids are a part of. Try to give them as many opportunities to ‘do’ as possible. That’s what I seek to do through my education and my philosophy of education. From a parental standpoint, give your kids as many opportunities and help them succeed.”

Home life:

“My wife is Sue McDonald. She is the music specialist and Teacher of the Year at Miller Elementary School. We’re both in music. That’s how we met — in a community band in Covington. She plays the flute and I play the trumpet. We just had our 11th anniversary. I have two stepchildren, Cody McGhee (recently graduated from Kennesaw State and is wanting to pursue a career in sports journalism) and Bailey McGhee (nursing major at Georgia Southern University).”

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