Before Raquel McIntosh’s name was called as the winner of the MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award, she felt she had “already won.”

The award was presented to McIntosh during the Juno Awards on Sunday.

“The day before, I heard someone call my name inside of Jackson Square,” she told CBC Hamilton this week.

It was an old student of hers, she said, now a doctor doing their residency, who thanked her “for putting them on that tenor sax and helping them to get that note.” Hearing that was “a reminder of why I do what I do,” said McIntosh.

She’s the 21st recipient of the award, according to MusiCounts, which comes with a $10,000 grant for Adelaide Hoodless Elementary School’s music program, where she’s a music teacher.

She said she will consult with the students before making any decisions on how to spend the grant.

“This is something that needs to benefit our students and our community for a long time,” she said.

Other nominees this year were Zeda Ali from Brampton, Ont., Lynn Harper from Ormstown, Que., Alex Hutcherson from Cremona, Alta., and Isabelle Lemieux from Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Que.

WATCH | Raquel McIntosh receives the MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award:

Arkells members gave McIntosh the award

The moment McIntosh’s name was called during the 55th annual Juno Awards at Hamilton’s TD Coliseum, she was visibly emotional.

McIntosh thanked her husband and children as well as her mother, who “made sure I didn’t quit piano lessons.” She also thanked MusiCounts, which she said gave her an “opportunity to dismantle systematic barriers that try to decide who is worthy of holding an instrument.”

“Every child regardless of where they are from, what they look like or how they identify is worthy to experience that transformative power,” she said in her speech. “Music is a thriving career and the kids deserve to know that.”

Arkells’ Max Herman and Mike DeAngelis presented and handed McIntosh the award. The band said in an Instagram post Tuesday her speech made them cry.

“When we say Every Child Matters, this is it,” said the band in an Instagram post. “Witnessing her commitment to an equitable Canada is what opportunity, liberation, and a nourishing life look like in practice.”

McIntosh, originally from Toronto, has been teaching for over 20 years across England and the GTHA. She has been living in Hamilton for seven years.

Music and teaching have always been a calling

For McIntosh, music has “always been” part of her life. It started at church with the worship band and singers, she said, But also through her Jamaican parents and the large Afro-Caribbean community at the church.

Growing up, she played all kinds of instruments, from piano and drums to saxophone, flute, and more.

It was also early on, during her last year of high school, that she worked as a teacher for the first time in night school.

“I remember my oldest student was 92 years old and they were the best student,” she said. “They didn’t treat me as an 18 year old, any different than any other professional.”

That’s when she realized she was going in the right direction.

McIntosh also noticed a need for more teachers who looked like her. Growing up in Cooksville, Ont., a neighbourhood in Mississauga, the staff didn’t represent what the student population looked like.

“I felt that there was a calling to be representation,” she said.

Teaching kids that ‘music is a safe choice’

In the classroom now, McIntosh is an instrumental music specialist. She has taught band, many instruments, vocal, and even music production.

Most importantly, she wants to teach young people that “music is a safe choice” and a “viable career path.”

McIntosh said it’s important to put respect on music from an early age and recognize that music and the arts play a role in developing a person.

“There’s so much you can get from it, whether it’s discipline, critical thinking skills, being comfortable with being uncomfortable, trying something new, having a sense of self,” she said.

“It’s not just notes on the page, but the notes on the page are very important.”

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For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.