CANMORE, ALTA – Being nominated for a JUNO Award is a big deal.
When you’re a music teacher at a small school nestled in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, that nomination can come as something of a surprise.
Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Academy’s Janell Toews is trying to take the news in stride, and there was certainly no expectation of being part of the bigger celebration at first.
“I thought, OK, they’ll be announcing the award at the JUNOS as part of supporting local programs like MusiCounts and the Band Aid funds and grants that they give out to Canadian schools,” she said.
Toews originally found out she was a finalist at the end of December but was instructed to keep a low profile until all of this year’s nominations in all categories were confirmed. The enormity of the occasion didn’t really sink in until the official announcements were made on March 1.
“It wasn’t until Tuesday (March 1) that I realized it’s an actual JUNO,” Toews said, as she mimed holding a small statuette that could possibly be hers for real come the middle of May.
“It has definitely been a shock because this is about music teachers from all across Canada and I’m just a band teacher from a small K to 12 school,” Toews said. “I went back and looked at some of the people who have won in the past and they’re all such fantastic advocates for music. I’m so honoured to be part of that group.”
Presented by the Canadian Scholarship Trust Foundation, the MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award is designed to encourage and celebrate a music educator who has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to their students. Sixteen teachers have previously won the award, and in addition to Toews, there are four other nominees this year.
Toews has been at OLS for 14 years and teaches Grade 5 to 12 music, including the Grade 7 through 12 guitar and concert band programs. She comes to the work through her own experiences as a teenager in Valleyview, Alta.
“I’m from a small northern town that had the most beautiful band room ever built,” Toews said. “And by the time I was in high school the band program was dying to the point that there were only four of us, and so we ended making a little jazz combo.
“But, I just thought it was so sad because in the 80s the band program was huge in Valleyview and it won all kinds of awards.”
Watching that process play out over time inspired Toews toward her career path.
“It’s the reason I became a music teacher,” she said, “because I didn’t want to see band programs die off anymore.”
The JUNO Awards are presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and the MusiCounts Award was established in 2005. Toews’ name was put forward by fellow fine arts teacher at OLS Kendra Silk, who was more than happy to put the time and effort into presenting the strongest case for her colleague and friend.
“What inspired me to write the nomination is the way students experience her class,” Silk said. “Despite the complexities of the past two years when students leave her class they’ve had the potential to share an aspect of their story through music.
“The students have had an opportunity to collaborate and be part of a sound bigger than themselves and join together with their peers. What could be more inspiring and easy to write about than someone who helps students see the worth that they have within?”
The students themselves also pitched in.
“I know that a lot of my students are a big part of the reason that this happened,” Toews said. “They wrote letters and submitted videos and I think that’s the most incredible, special thing that you can have as a teacher.
“Students actually feeling that you’ve made a difference in their lives to the point where they want to write you a letter of recommendation, because most of the time it’s the other way around… that was really, really special to me.”
True to the spirit of creativity and artistic expression that is a big part of her life, Toews was also quick to point out that the Bow Valley is lucky to have plenty of options for people to explore their creative side, at any age, in any discipline. Reinforcing the idea that art can be a life-long pursuit.
“I do want to thank the Town of Canmore, and the people of Canmore, for being able to support fine arts in the Bow Valley. It gives people, whether young or old, the opportunity to express themselves.”
As the energy and emotion of the big news mellows for Toews in the coming weeks, there is still the small matter of Canada’s yearly celebration of excellence in music to look forward to.
“Like any other nominee I will be sitting in Toronto on May 15 and when my category comes up, that’s when I find out if I’ve won, or if one of the other four people have won,” Toews said, with the air of someone who still can’t believe this is all really happening.
“So, I’m taking my husband to the JUNOS. And I think I also get to do some events beforehand, where I’ll be meeting other Canadian artists and legends and nominees, and I can’t even fathom it right now. It’s just so big, and surreal, that I have this opportunity and I can represent my school and my school division.”
The 2022 JUNO Awards are scheduled for Sunday, May 15, in Toronto, and will be broadcast live nationally on CBC.
