By Peter Howarth

While it may not be noticeable at first, you may pick up on a slight Texan accent upon conversing with Westborough High School band director Mr. Doyle. Although he did not grow up in Texas, he later worked in Texas. Instead he was raised in nearby Gardner, MA. As a child, he knew he wanted to be an English teacher from the second grade. But luckily for band students, Mr. Doyle decided to teach band instead of English as it “felt like a home away from home.”

He then pursued a career in music, graduating from UMass Amherst in 2005 and earning his masters from West Carolina University in 2007.

His first big break came thereafter, becoming the assistant band director at Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, Texas. He worked there up until 2014, when he got the job here at Westborough High School. Returning to New England, Mr. Doyle realized that there weren’t as many differences between Texas and Massachusetts as one would think. Instead, the opportunity to return home presented a “great challenge” for him, as it allowed him to focus more concern on the depth of the content he was teaching instead of simply teaching it.

In teaching band, Mr. Doyle finds the ability to collaborate and create music with young people the most rewarding aspect. This skill goes back to his time in band, cherishing moments when “everything just clicked” and when music became “more meaningful than pushing buttons and playing dots on a page.”

As a player, Mr. Doyle was and is a classically-trained saxophone player, with his favorite music to play being French saxophone classics in a saxophone quartet setting. As a teacher, however, Mr. Doyle doesn’t have a favorite type of music to teach, as good music is what’s important. He wants students to gain four core values from his teaching: musicianship, scholarship, leadership, and citizenship. Through scholarship, he wants to form a connection between band and other classes, utilizing tools such as the BYOD program. And Mr. Doyle believes that band sets students up well for leadership opportunities, and that band provides a great service to the community.

In the time Mr. Doyle has outside of school between marching band, pit orchestra, chamber ensembles, and working at both WHS and Gibbons Middle School, he spends time with his family. With his two little girls, they focus on seeing local attractions and making memories together. The connection he has made with his family translates onto the band program, making each student feel welcome and ready to play every band rehearsal.