Director of Bands and Orchestra
Tennessee State University
Reginald Adrian McDonald, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, currently serves as Director of Bands, String Orchestra Conductor, Instrumental Music Coordinator and Associate Professor of Music Education at Tennessee State University.
Prior to his appointment as Associate Director of Bands/Assistant Professor of Music at Tennessee State University in 2001, Dr. McDonald served as Director of Bands at McNair Middle School in College Park, Georgia from 1991 to 1996 and Director of Bands/Music Department Chairman at Southwest Dekalb High School in Decatur, Georgia from 1996 to 2001. During his public school tenure, Dr. McDonald’s middle school and high school bands received ten years of consecutive superior ratings at concert, marching and jazz band state/district evaluations, competitions and festivals. His bands have performed for prestigious audiences such as the 1999 Atlanta Falcons’ nationally televised NFL-playoff game, President George Bush’s 2001 visit to the Atlanta Fernbank Museum, the 100 Black Men of Atlanta Football Classic, the 2002 Inaugural Honda Collegiate Battle of the Bands, the 2002 Music Educators National Conference Bi-Annual In-Service, annually for the Tennessee Titans NFL games, 2006 & 2014 HBCU-National Band Directors Consortium, the 2009 Tennessee Music Educators Association Annual In-Service and a 2016 special invitational performance at the White House in front of the Oval Office for President Barack Obama. He has been cited as an expert teacher by Fulton County Board of Education in Atlanta, Georgia and honored as teacher of the year in 1996(McNair MS), 2006(Tennessee State University Department of Music), 2008(Tennessee State University Department of Music), and 2009(Tennessee State University College of Arts and Sciences). Dr. McDonald has appeared as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. He is a member of Music Educators National Conference, College Band Directors National Association, Tennessee Music Educators Association, Tennessee Bandmasters Association, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity, Phi Beta Mu International Schools Bandmasters Fraternity, Conn-Selmer Distinguished Educator, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Golden Key International Honor Society, Kappa Delta Epsilon Honorary Education Fraternity, and Who’s Who in America. A graduate of Alabama State University, Dr. McDonald also holds a Masters of Music in Music Education Degree from the University of West Georgia, Educational Specialist Degree in School Administration from Clark Atlanta University and he earned a Doctorate in Music Education at “The” University of Alabama. Reginald is married to Cherronda Williams a Tennessee State University Alumni and they have three daughters Chelsea, Charley and Camille.
Teacher
How to motivate the band program and gather community support for your program. Preparing a state of the band address to parents and community partners who support or are willing to support your program.
Teacher
Guest conductor responsible for programming literature that will not only challenge the students but provide a positive experience that will build on their current knowledge base.
Teacher
Assist the new band director in developing a viable curriculum that includes not only marching band but jazz band, concert band, small ensemble and chamber groups. Help teach the band director to analyze methodology books, literature, instrumentation issues and developing recruitment strategies.
Teacher
Analyze the chosen score and ability level of the musicians, to provide meaningful avenues for improvement as the band prepares for evaluations.