Published: April 21, 2009 01:50 pm      

Don McMahel still going strong at Indiana University Southeast after 57 years of teaching music

Music man

Don McMahel has the perfect remedy for growing old.

The 79-year-old conductor of the Indiana University Southeast Concert Band said the key to staying mentally sharp is to find something you love to do.

“We need to keep our minds and bodies as active as possible,” McMahel said. “As a senior citizen, you want to do what you love for as long as you are able. I have been involved with music for so many years ... I just love it.”

And that love shows every time McMahel picks up the baton to lead the 70-member band.

“When he is conducting, it’s just magic,” said Mary Lou Frank, a member of the concert band. “Every movement of his body means something. Everything has meaning.”

McMahel has been teaching music for 57 years. After graduating from New Albany High School and Indiana University, McMahel began his career at Western Kentucky University in 1952. He worked for the New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corp. from 1959-1993, and has been an adjunct professor of music at IUS since 1965.

This is the 12th year for the concert band, and McMahel has been there every step of the way. The band plays about five concerts a year, practices once a week and is comprised of individuals from all walks of life. From doctors, to educators, students and husbands and wives, the band has a little bit of everything. Of the 70 members, 22 have been playing with the band since its inception.

But the one thing that remains a constant is McMahel.

“He is just a wonderful person,” Frank said. “His greatest legacy in the community is the many thousands of people he has introduced to music. He has given them the gift of music.”

McMahel said he has been blessed to be surrounded by “a great group of musicians.” He also credits the success and longevity of the IUS band to associate-conductor Nan Moore.

“We are kind of like a musical family,” he said. “These people are so dedicated. Our music department is small but we’re very active.”

McMahel also said the secret to being a good conductor is to let the music do all the talking.

“Conducting is a skill,” he said. “Our job, as conductors, is to get the best out of the musicians. That is our responsibility.

“You don’t think about what you are doing. The end result is how well they played.”

McMahel said when organizing a concert, he and Moore try to find numbers that will not only engage the audience, but the musicians as well.

IUS band members are not paid and do it for the love of music. The same thing that has driven McMahel for more than five decades.

“Music has been my life, as far as my profession,” he said. “I have been so fortunate to work with so many great people.”