A Song Ends—Music Teacher Loses Battle with Cancer

He was a beloved teacher who taught thousands of students and breathed music into the community, but the song that was Donn Jones' life struck its final chord on Tuesday.

The Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate music teacher was at home, surrounded by his wife Gillian and family, when he died quietly in his sleep from a nearly two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 58.

The Joneses live in Lake Forest. He has two children from a previous marriage, Andrew and Courtney, who were at his side.

News of his death was shared with colleagues after school on Tuesday, and eighth-grade students were notified first-thing Wednesday morning. Counselors were on campus available to students who may have needed them.

Jones had taught music for more than 35 years, and began teaching at RSM Intermediate in 1998, where he continued until December of last year, working his schedule around chemotherapy treatments. He was diagnosed in spring of 2010.

Although the school originally planned to show a short video today celebrating Jones' life, it will instead be shown at a Celebration of Life event being planned for later this month.

What the video may have difficulty conveying is the philosophy that guided Jones through his career in teaching.

"Music teachers should strive to move beyond the always important traditional aspects of school music—competition, teamwork, social benefits, developing responsibility, mastery of instruments—to include that which creates a personal relationship between the students and the music they are creating," Jones had said of music education. "Students should be taught to create music in addition to recreating music."

It was that infusion of life into the creative process that made Jones outstanding.

Rick Jameson, principal at RSM Intermediate, said that to watch Jones was to "see a man with a deep passion for music and for kids," and that "his humor and caring demeanor have guided many a student to excel not only in his class, but in others as well."

"The love of music, importance of discipline and personal reverence that music is a 'team sport' is what Donn Jones instills in the middle school student," Jameson said.

At least two Facebook pages honoring the music teacher have been established; "Wear RSM Shirts in Memory of Mr. Donn Jones" and "RSM Music—Remembering Donn Jones" were filled with tributes.

Tamsen Hughes wrote: "Thank you for your inspiration to both of my children to love and pursue music. You will be greatly missed in this world, but the music lives on in us and and therefore you shall live."

Clara Nguyen, an RSM Intermediate student, wrote: "Without him, I would never had continued music. He helped me find a love for music that I will now hold with me for the rest of my life. His passion and dedication to us was extraordinary even through his battle with cancer. Mr. Jones' life and actions have touched my heart, as I know it did the same to so many others."

Mark Berry wrote: "I was in his class through 2005-2007, it felt like yesterday. ... I don't think anybody who was in his class will ever forget him, he was so passionate about his work."

His students went on to have major impacts on the bands at Trabuco Hills and Mission Viejo high schools.

Jones twice received a PTA Honorary Service Award, and was selected by his colleagues as the school's teacher of the year in 2002-03. The band at the middle school routinely played functions at Disneyland and achieved ratings of superior or excellent at festivals and competitions.

As an instructor, Jones was student-centered. In early 2010, Jameson nominated Jones for an Outstanding Arts Educator Award, citing his "innovative and effective instructional strategies" that challenged and inspired students through five key points: 

• Where possible, students are taught at their individual level of proficiency through custom arrangements of performance literature.
• Cross-curricular connections are emphasized through examples tying in concepts of other subject areas (i.e., analyzing playing using English grammatical structure, or having art students draw music students while music students compose pieces reflecting on the art student’s portfolio).
• Students are given a wide range of music literature, keeping a balance between easy, enjoyable pieces and true challenges where they can succeed or fail in a safe environment.
• Students are led through a series of music writing experiences culminating in the opportunity to experience composing for small performing groups or composing music for a short movie score.
• Instrumental music students collaborate with chorus students and non-music program students to produce our annual “Rockfest” featuring a large array of school talent.

Those things led Jameson to pay the music teacher the ultimate compliment.

"Some instrumental teachers teach music or instruments," Jameson said. "Donn creates musicians."

He created a lot of fans, and quite a legacy, too.