TI:ME is proud to announce that Gillian Desmarais has been selected as the 2024 Mike Kovins Teacher of the Year.
Gillian teaches Music Production and Engineering at Harmony Learning Center in Maplewood, MN. Harmony Learning Center is a K-12 program that serves special education students with behavioral and mental health concerns.
Gillian has made a difference in the life of every single student at Harmony by leveraging her knowledge and skills in Music Production to create a vibrant and engaging music class for these students.
Named after one of TI:ME’s founders, Mike Kovins, the Teacher of the Year award is the most prestigious award given to teachers incorporating Technology into Music Instruction. Gillian Desmarais is a worthy recipient as she continuously demonstrates in her classroom, in conference presentations, and in online mentoring, the extraordinary potential of Music Technology to transform the lives of students.
Gillian is a selfless, dedicated, and brilliant teacher, and she now joins the list as the 20th of the distinguished teachers throughout the USA who have received this award.
They are: Amy Burns – 2005 Karen Garrett – 2006 Michael Fein – 2007 Ace Martin – 2008 Wayne Splettstoeszer – 2009 Rick Dammers – 2010 Joe Pisano – 2011 Barbara Freedman – 2012 Richard McCready – 2013 Catie Dwinal – 2014 Will Kuhn – 2015 Marjorie LoPresti – 2016 Stephanie Sanders – 2017 Cherie Herring – 2018 Shawna Longo – 2019 Anne Fennell – 2020 Stefani Langol – 2021 Ryan Van Bibber – 2022 Heath Jones – 2023
TI:ME congratulates Gillian Desmarais on her award, and we look forward to presenting her as the TI:ME 2024 Mike Kovins Teacher of the Year on February 7th during the reception at our National Pre-Conference in San Antonio, Texas, in partnership with the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA).
