News Article

CNA instructor wins provincial music award


11/21/2002 10:37:45 AM


Wade Pinhorn, Coordinating Instructor for the Music Industry & Performance program at College of the North Atlantic is winner of the first ever MIANL Music Educator of the Year Award.


November 20, 2002 – Wade Pinhorn, coordinating instructor for the Music Industry & Performance program at College of the North Atlantic (CNA), is the winner of the Music Industry Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (MIANL) 2001-02 Music Educator of the Year Award.

Pinhorn has won national (Juno) and regional (ECMA) music awards, but he says that winning Music Educator of the Year for the province is a special honour.

“I am very proud and honoured that this is coming from peers in the provincial industry,” he says.

“And I would like to thank those who voted for me.”

The MIANL Music Educator of the Year Award was given to Pinhorn during the association’s AGM conference weekend in St. John’s, November 15 – 17. This award is a new one instated by the MIANL, one which is setting a precedent for the music industry in Canada, says Pinhorn, also vice president of the association.

“It is important that educators are being recognized in the music industry. This is something you can expect to see more of from other music associations in Canada now that the ball is rolling.”

Pinhorn says he didn’t expect to win, and he was just happy to see the MIANL’s concept come to fruition.

“It might sound cliché, but just being included among the other nominees was an honor. They are all such excellent educators, that I didn’t expect to win,” he says.

“With regard to the music industry in Newfoundland and Labrador, the fact that we can put all these names of educators on a ballot for Music Educator of the Year – people from such different walks of life – points to the impact of teachers and mentors in the industry.”

Pinhorn has been teaching music for some 25 years, but he attributes this award to the quality of programming at College of the North Atlantic.

“CNA has been extremely generous in allowing me to set up a learning environment for students to prepare for the real world of the music industry,” he says.

“The fact that an instructor at College of the North Atlantic won this award speaks tomes about the Music Industry & Performance program itself, and its impact – and the college’s impact – on the music industry.”

Lorne King, Associate District Administrator at CNA’s Bay St. George campus says it is wonderful to have two instructors and the programs they are coordinating recognized in the industry (Neil Bishop, coordinating instructor of the Recording Arts program at Bay St. George campus, was also nominated).

“This award is great for both Wade and the college, and we certainly feel honoured to have two instructors nominated,” says King.

“This is also another indicator of how well CNA and the MIANL have worked together for the benefit of students and the industry in general. We’ve appreciated the support the MIANL has given CNA for the Recording Arts and Music Industry & Performance programs.”

Pinhorn says that another first-time award was given at this year’s MIANL conference – the Volunteer of the Year Award. It was given posthumously to the late Roger Skinner, former president of the association.

“This is an award that the ECMAs have been doing for a long time, and we (MIANL) felt it was time we did it,” he says.

“It was very fitting to begin this award with Roger, who worked tirelessly to help position the MIANL where it is now.”

The volunteer award and the educator award will help recognize those people in the industry who often go unrecognized, says Pinhorn.

“I would not be where I am today if not for teachers and mentors – such as Denis Parker, who has been my mentor for many years,” he says.

“I don’t think one ever stops learning or stops needing mentors. Life-long learning is my focus – the same philosophy that CNA embodies.”

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