Saskatoon music teacher honoured with federal award

Music is a big part of many people’s lives, but Saskatoon teacher Michael Kurpjuweit takes it to another level.

He received the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence on Monday.

The Brunskill School music teacher dedicates himself to running performance-based programs. He’s one of three teachers in Saskatchewan to receive the award.

“It’s just a huge honour,” he told 650 CKOM. “It’s a huge congratulations.”

Kurpjuweit said his passion for music developed when he was young. He enrolled in the band program at his school in Medicine Hat.

“My mother more or less forced me into it,” he said.

But he quickly grew to love it. Music had a strong influence on his life and career.

“Now, as a teacher, I just want to kind of give those same opportunities to my students and provide them with many chances to perform,” he said.

Kurpjuweit said music education is just as important as other academic subjects.

“There’s a lot more to human life than writing an essay, doing a worksheet, answering math questions,” he said.

He also sees music as a universal part of people’s lives.

“If you asked any person at any point in any day, they’ve had the radio on, they’ve been listening to music, they’ve incorporated it somehow into their life,” he said.