Jones College’s Dr. Lindsey Keay selected as Mississippi Humanities Teacher of the Year

ELLISVILLE –Jones College’s music instructor, Dr. Lindsey Keay has been selected as the JC 2018-19 Mississippi Humanities Teacher of the Year.  She will be honored by the Mississippi Humanities Council and the college on Tuesday, March 5, at 10:30 a.m. in the M.P. Bush Fine Arts Auditorium. The public is invited to see Dr. Keay’s free flute performance and presentation, “In the Zone: Flow of Music,” which will explore our intrinsic motivation to function at our finest. Dr. Keay’s fascination with determining what prompts us to succeed with the ultimate desire to find ways to motivate students became the key to earning her doctoral degree.

“My doctoral theses explored the abstract, intangible feeling that drives us to engage in an activity, which often leads to sacrifice, for the sheer joy of doing that activity. It is the balance of what someone is able to do and what they can achieve by practice. It’s also a balance between challenge and skill. I wanted to know what drives musicians to do what they do, which often seems boring to others. However, for musicians ‘in flow,’ achieving that optimal state of joy and satisfaction is what sometimes pushes them to continue,” said Dr. Keay.

“Being in the zone” can apply to all aspects of life, including athletics, video gaming and the medical field. Dr. Keay’s goal as a music instructor is to discover how she can help her students find their motivating factor to put them “in the “zone.”

“Dr. Keay is an invaluable asset to Jones College. Her devotion to academic quality and student achievement is matched by her willingness to always go above and beyond to motivate students to be their best.  She is guided by a sense of purpose that is evident in all she does. She is an inspiration to all of us,” said Jones College Dean of Academic Affairs, Dr. Jason Dedwylder.

The Mississippi Humanities Council will recognize Dr. Keay as JC’s Mississippi Humanities Teacher of the Year during this special presentation in Ellisville, and again in Jackson at a banquet where she will receive a cash award and a plaque.

“I am honored and humbled because there are a lot of fantastic faculty members doing a lot of awesome things at Jones.  I’m grateful to be nominated and I am looking forward to sharing some of my research on the psychological theory of ‘flow’ and how it pertains to music,” said Dr. Keay.

Director of Bands at Jones, Dr. Ben Burge said Dr. Keay is very deserving of the recognition from the Mississippi Humanities Council. The former Canadian and Houston, Texas native, Dr. Keay is a blessing to all the band members she is associated with.

“Lindsey is the consummate professional. She is a vital part of every success we have in the band department at Jones.  She provides a wonderful example to our students and she goes above and beyond in her teaching every single day.  She has extraordinary talent and is a remarkable flutist.  Jones College is lucky to have someone of her musical expertise and devotion on staff. I am proud to be her colleague and friend,” said Dr. Burge.

2015 Mississippi Humanities Teacher of the Year, fine arts department chair and art instructor, Mark Brown, also acknowledges, Dr. Keay is vital to the success of the fine arts division.

“It is evident Dr. Keay cares about her students and takes pride in their achievements while demanding no recognition for herself.  She is a supportive colleague and plays the flute as beautifully as anyone I’ve heard,” said Brown.

Dr. Keay’s responsibilities besides being the assistant band director and flute instructor at Jones include, working with the Maroon Typhoon, Concert Band, JC Pep Band, JC Flute Choir, JC Percussion Ensemble, teaching music appreciation, giving lessons at South Jones High School, and she is a member of the USM Steel Drum Band.  She also is a member of five symphonies in the region in Baton Rouge, the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Meridian, Mobile, and Tupelo’s, North Mississippi Symphony. Additionally, she was invited to teach at a South American masterclass and give a symphony performance of a rarely played piece of music on her piccolo for the first time in Cartagena, Colombia, South America as part of the music festival and clinic at the Unibac. The accomplished flutist attributes her introduction to the flute to her mother.

“Shortly after we moved from Calgary, Canada to Houston, my mom encouraged me to join the band as I entered sixth grade. She played the flute so I wanted to play the flute too,” said Dr. Keay.

What began as an introduction to music on the flute has turned into a career in music that has lasted decades. The current Hattiesburg resident is completing her fifth year at Jones College with previous teaching experience at Bedichek Middle School in Austin, Texas, as a graduate assistant at USM, and as an instructor of music education at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana.