Director & STAFF

Les McDonald is the Band Director of the Smith County High School" Pride of the Upper Cumberland” Marching Band and an alumnus of both the band program and school.  In 2006, McDonald received a full scholarship to Tennessee Tech University, where he later received a Bachelor of Music degree. McDonald also holds a master's in performance from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and received additional studies in Instrumental Pedagogy from Belmont University. For over a decade, McDonald has performed across the United States as a working musician. In recent years, he taught music lessons for Metro Nashville Public Schools. He has also enjoyed his time as a performing musician in multiple genres of music. As a trumpet player, McDonald has performed alongside groups such as the Boston Brass, Synergy Brass, The Tristar Brass Ensemble, Trevecca Symphony, Sewanee Symphony, Bryan Symphony Orchestra, and several jazz orchestras across the state of Tennessee. In commercial music, McDonald has enjoyed being part of productions such as Christmas at Belmont and has recorded for Alfred Music and J.W. Pepper. Currently, he records music for several rock music projects throughout the Nashville Music Scene.   In May of 2024, McDonald obtained an Education Specialist Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Tennessee Tech University.  Although he is an educator, McDonald still performs as an active soloist across the region.


Email: Les.McDonald@smithco.edu