MusiCounts, Canada’s leading music education charity, is excited to reveal Jeannie Hunter from Nepean High School in Ottawa, ON as the winner of the esteemed national 2025 MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award, presented by Anthem Entertainment.
For over 30 years, Jeannie Hunter has taught a wide range of music programs with the Ottawa Carleton District School Board, and has spent her career advocating for equity, diversity, and inclusion in the music classroom. She was the founding director of Brookfield High School’s ‘World Voices Choir,’ which collaborated with social justice organizations to use music as a tool for social change. Jeannie’s students have received national accolades, including the 2015 title of ‘Canada’s Greatest Music Class’ and came second in their category of the CBC Music Class Challenge this year. Additionally, Jeannie has received several teaching awards, is an instructor with Ottawa’s Orkidstra (the first El Sistema program in North America), and serves as a member of the Ontario Music Educators’ Association Board of Directors.
“MusiCounts is proud to celebrate Jeannie Hunter with the MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award, presented by Anthem Entertainment,” said Kristy Fletcher, President of MusiCounts. Jeannie’s career spans three decades, and her influence on students, staff, and her community is remarkable. She is a testament to the impact a music teacher can have, and embodies all of the qualities of an exceptional educator. Congratulations, Jeannie!
Announced live on the JUNO Awards broadcast from Rogers Arena in Vancouver, BC, Jeannie is the 20th recipient of the MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award. In recognition of this achievement, she will receive a $10,000 cash prize, a significant contribution to her school’s music program through the MusiCounts School Music Funding Program, a JUNO Award statuette, and grants to additional schools in her honour.
“It is a tremendous honour to represent MusiCounts and public music education at the JUNO Awards, surrounded by such an inspiring group of fellow educators. I want to express my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported me along the way — my family, friends, students, administration and colleagues, as well as the Canadian musicians that continue to inspire both myself and my students,” said Jeannie Hunter. “I accept this on behalf of all music teachers – what you do makes a difference every day. You build virtuoso human beings, providing students with a safe space to be themselves, to come together across backgrounds and circumstances, to grow, and to express who they are. In a world that seems filled with divisiveness and chaos, the act of coming together to make music may be the most powerful thing we can do. Now, more than ever, we need music. Thank you to MusiCounts for their incredible support of music education in Canada.”
Since 2005, the MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award has celebrated and honoured outstanding Canadian music educators annually for their impact on both their students and the broader music education community. The prestigious Award is made possible through the generous support of Anthem Entertainment.
“Anthem is honoured to recognize Jeannie Hunter with the MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award,” said Jason Klein, CEO of Anthem Entertainment. “Jeannie had had a widespread impact on so many students, inspiring the next generation of artists, songwriters, industry professionals, and music lovers. Congratulations, Jeannie!”
