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MusiCounts is proud to announce Mark Reid, Fine Arts Department Head, Director of Bands & Choir at Vancouver Technical Secondary School, as the eighth recipient of the MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award. The music education charity, associated with The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), enlisted the help of 13-time JUNO Award winner and Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee, Shania Twain to present Mark his award. Currently residing in Las Vegas where she is performing her Caesars Palace show Shania Still the One, Shania took some time backstage after her show on April 5th, to meet with Mark Reid and members of MusiCounts. Footage from this special event will be shown during CTV’s broadcast of the 2013 JUNO Awards broadcast on April 21st.
“Music helps define who we are as individuals and I applaud MusiCounts’ steadfast commitment to ensuring that our children have music in their schools,” said Shania. “It was a privilege to meet Mr. Reid and to bestow him with this honour from such a vital program.”
The MusiCounts Teacher of the Year award recognizes the incredible, dedicated and hard-working music teachers in Canada who help keep music alive for so many young Canadians. The recipient receives a $10,000 cheque, plus a $10,000 contribution to the recipient’s school music program, an all-expense paid trip to the JUNO Awards, and a spectacular solid crystal statuette based on the JUNO Award design originally created by Canadian glass artist, the late Shirley Elford.
“The MusiCounts Band Aid Grants are essential to providing instruments to children who need them most, but the real impact comes from the music teachers who embrace and guide the opportunities that those grants create,” said Melanie Berry, President & CEO, CARAS/The JUNO Awards & MusiCounts. “That is why recognizing the music teachers that go above and beyond the call of duty for the students is so important – Congratulations Mark!”
As the music teacher at Vancouver Technical Secondary School for the past seven years, University of Victoria graduate Mark Reid has been an extraordinary influence on the students, the school and the community as a whole. Mark and his team oversee a program that has an enrollment of over 600 students, representing more than 1/3 of the school population. During this time Mark has been integral to the significant growth of the school music program including the Senior Concert Band expanding from 60 to 112 students, the revival of a choral program, the expansion of the orchestral program, the creation of Van Tech Musicals in the Concert Musical Theatre, the Drumline and the Brass Ensemble programs, and sponsored creation of a band program at Queen Alexandra Elementary School. Mark is the President of the British Columbia Music Educators’ Association (BCMEA) and was recently elected to President of the Canadian Music Educators’ Association.
“I feel very fortunate to be a part of the teaching profession and to have the opportunity to share in expressive and creative experiences with great students,” said Mark Reid. “Receiving this award is an honour I share with supportive colleagues and dedicated students. It was a thrill to have Shania Twain, such a successful Canadian musician, present this award to me after her spectacular show!”
The MusiCounts Teacher of the Year award is presented each year by an artist or group. Previous supporters of the award include: The Rolling Stones, Michael Bublé, Céline Dion, The Tragically Hip, Anne Murray, Billy Talent, Johnny Reid and now Shania Twain.
