MACON, Ga. — A Howard High School orchestra teacher is setting the tone for his students.
John Sweat is an orchestra and guitar ensemble director who just won a pitch-perfect award.
Sweat was surprised to receive the Georgia Music Educators Association Teacher of the Year award.
Sweat grew up in Macon and started playing the violin in the third grade at Springdale Elementary. He would go on to graduate from Central High School.
He's been teaching at Howard High School since 2008 and this year, he also began teaching at Howard Middle School.
"Music has just always been a part of my life," Sweat said. "Never dreamt at that point in time that it would be such a great passion that it is for me now."
Now, teaching students who have that same love for music, he said passing the music on to his students is his way of teaching teamwork.
"That collaboration, that creative joy has to be a two-way street," Sweat said. "It's all of our energy working together and even though I'm the teacher, I'm the director, it's one ensemble and it takes all of us together. When they are playing music, we are creating amazing neuron connections in the brain and every time we do it, we're growing. We all want our students, no matter what we teach, to be lifelong learners and I hope that they are and I hope that they are lifelong lovers of music."
After bragging about his students, they wanted to brag about him.
Koren Davis is a junior and plays the viola.
"There's a lot of hard work that he does behind the scenes and I think that he really deserved the award," Davis said.
Davis finds music as a form of expression and finds learning about different techniques fun.
"All the parts work together whether you notice it or not, so we all have to listen to each other and stay on tempo, look at Mr. Sweat obviously so that we can stay together," Davis said.
Lillian Harper is a senior and has been playing the violin for the past seven years.
"The attitude you have can really influence how you play," Harper said.
Harper talked about how Mr. Sweat brings everyone together whether it's with or without music.
"He's able to create this kind of community in the classroom where we all want to do better but we're not necessarily stressed or feel competitive with each other," Harper said. "We all just like to be around each other and play together and push each other in ways without there being pressure but it's because we all want to do better. Mr. Sweat helps us be better musicians."
Emma Wilson is a sophomore who plays the double bass.
"I love music," Wilson said. "I've been in it since I was very young. I feel like music to everybody to some degree is very important because it's in our everyday lives."
She just placed in the all-state orchestra, which means she gets to play in a full symphony with students all around Georgia.
Emma said especially after the win, she looks up to Mr. Sweat as an inspiration.
"He's amazing and a very fun teacher. I feel like he's been all over the world and I hope one day I can be somewhat like him."
Sweat is a former Howard High School Teacher of the Year and he's been a member of several orchestras including 20 years with the Macon Symphony.