Paige Lush
2025 Full-Time Faculty Member of the Year
Music has the power to move us. It sparks imagination, builds community, and changes lives in profound ways.
No one understands this better than Dr. Paige Lush, who has been sharing her passion for music with students at McHenry County College (MCC) for the past 16 years.
Lush was recently recognized as MCC’s 2025 Full-Time Faculty Member of the Year. The award recipients, selected by peers, are chosen based on their commitment to teaching, contribution to the college community, and professional development.
“Music teachers often have to justify the existence of music as an academic subject. It’s common for music to be treated as an extracurricular or ‘not a real class,’” Lush said. “To me, this award is important because it shows that MCC values music as an academic discipline.”
Lush currently teaches Concert Band, Music History, American Music, and the “Chiptunes” learning community. She has also taught low brass lessons and Music Appreciation.
“I love teaching music because I can take something that we experience every day and show students how to engage with it more deeply,” Lush said. “I also get to introduce them to music that they wouldn’t encounter otherwise. It’s so rewarding to watch a student fall in love with music that is new to them, whether it be music from another time or another culture.”
Lush knew she wanted to become a band director at an early age, deciding on the career while still in high school. During college, she fell in love with music history and decided to pursue her graduate degrees in musicology.
“At MCC, I get to teach band and music history—so it’s the perfect job for me,” she said.
Lush is extremely involved in the community both on and off campus. She currently serves as the Chair of the Student Affairs Engagement Committee at MCC, where she facilitates dialogue between the Student and Academic Affairs divisions of the College.
“I enjoy this role because it is entirely student focused,” Lush said. “It brings together two sides of the college that don’t have many organic opportunities to interact, and gives us a space to work together to improve the student experience at MCC.”
Lush also prioritizes building relationships with local K-12 music programs. For the past three years, she has taught at the Summer Elementary Band Camp for Woodstock District 200, and has also served as a judge for the District 47 Solo and Ensemble Festival for several years. In 2023, she worked as a clinician with three bands at Lundahl Middle School in Crystal Lake.
“Dr. Lush believes that every student benefits from thinking critically about music, regardless of their major,” said Dr. Joe Sullivan, Dean of Arts and Humanities at MCC. “She wants to expand her students’ musical horizons while deepening their understanding and appreciation of the music already in their lives.”
Lush earned her Bachelor of Music from the University of Tennessee, her Master of Music from the University of Memphis, and her Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky.
“What I love about teaching at MCC is how integrated the college is with the community,” she said. “All of our musical ensembles involve community members alongside students, as do our theatrical productions. Our student organizations are active in the community, and many community organizations have a presence on our campus.”
Lush is always looking for opportunities to expand the presence of music on campus and get more people in the community involved. One of her latest initiatives was the addition of a pep band to support MCC’s volleyball and basketball teams.
“The band loves to play at games, and it helps create an exciting atmosphere for the teams,” she said.
Many of Lush’s former students have followed in her footsteps, continuing to work or perform in the field.
“One of my former students won a Grammy; another is a military musician, and several are successful freelance performers,” she said. “Many of our music alumni are also now music educators in the area, which is especially rewarding because my former students are now my colleagues.”
Lush’s greatest reward comes from watching her students grow—not just as musicians, but as people.
“In music, it doesn’t matter how good you are if you are not reliable,” Lush tells her students. “This is an element of professionalism—a ‘soft skill,’ to borrow a business term. While it is certainly important that we train our students to be excellent musicians, it is equally important that we teach them how to be professionals, and in music, nothing is more important than being reliable. Even the best performer won’t be rehired if they aren’t on stage when the show starts. It is important to me to model this behavior for my students—I’m compulsively early.”
Lush pursues her musical passions outside of MCC as well, serving as the choir director at her church. She also enjoys retro gaming and spending time with her husband, three kids, and three dogs.