Congratulations to Jeff Kula of Winnipeg’s River East Collegiate, who was honoured with MusiCounts’ Teacher of the Year Award yesterday in recognition of his passion and dedication to music education.

The MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award recognizes the incredible, dedicated and hard-working music teachers in Canada who encourage music education for many young Canadians.

“Each year we receive a number of nominations on behalf of teachers who impact school communities across Canada,” says Allan Reid, Director, MusiCounts. “Choosing the one recipient of this annual award is never easy, but Jeff Kula’s commitment to his students and how he goes above and beyond the call of duty of a music teacher exemplifies the reason that we established this award to begin with.”

Gord Bamford, who is nominated for The JUNO Awards Country Album of the Year, was on hand to present the award at a surprise presentation at Kula’s school. This year’s award is sponsored by Gord Bamford Charitable Foundation, who also committed an additional $100,000 to MusiCounts over the next three years.

“If I wouldn’t have started music at a young age, and started in school, I probably wouldn’t be where I’m at today,” says Bamford. “It creates dreams. It’s a dream I eventually started chasing, and it’s come true for me. It all started in grade four and I have my teacher to thank for that. I want to make a difference, and giving back is the most rewarding thing that I’ve been able to do.”

Check out the video of River East Collegiate’s reaction to the news, care of CTV Winnipeg.