Teacher of the Year
Teacher of the Year Award Program
Do you have a colleague deserving of recognition as the 2026 NCMTA Teacher of the Year? There are so many teachers in our state who represent in their dedication, effectiveness and generosity a model of excellence in teaching. This is the highest honor one can receive from NCMTA, so please consider submitting a nomination by email to pastpresident@ncmta.org.
The award will be a surprise, so please do not inform your nominee. Include the following information:
- Nominee’s name
- Your name, phone, email address
- A short (one paragraph) nomination statement, including your reasons for nominating this candidate. Documentation is not needed at this point in the process. Deadline June 30, 2026 !!
2025 Recipient – Marie Humphrey. Photo and bio coming soon!
2024 Recipient – Dr. Dylan Savage
Dr. Dylan Savage is a Bösendorfer Concert Artist, Capstone Records recording artist, and university professor. He divides his time between teaching, performing, speaking, and writing.
Savage has performed in countries around the world, including Italy, Switzerland, Iceland, Austria, Malta, US, Japan, and Virgin Islands. He has spoken at numerous conferences including: The Analytics Frontiers National Conference, The International Symposium on Performance Science, Performing Arts Medicine Association, National and World Piano Pedagogy Conferences, Human Complexity National Conference, TRANSelement National Conference on Innovation and Collaboration, and other state and national conferences.
Savage has Doctoral and Master’s degrees in Music from the Indiana University School of Music and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the Oberlin Conservatory. He is a Professor of Piano at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Past NCMTA Teachers of the Year, with years and locations the awards were given
2008 – Marie Burnette – UNCSA
2009 – John Ruggero – UNCG
2010 – Barbara Furr – UNC Wilmington
2011 – Paul Stewart – Salem College
2012 – Liz Labelle – UNC-CH
2013 – Diane Higgins – Mars Hill University
2014 – No TOY – Methodist University
2015 – ML Norwood – Meredith College
2016 – Connie Kotis – Wake Forest University
2017 – Diane Blanchard – Elizabeth City State University
2018 – Kerry Carlin – UNCSA
2019 – Anne Scoggin – Western Carolina
2020 – Thomas Swenson – Virtual Conference
2021 – Victoria Fischer Faw – Virtual Conference
2022 – Jeanine Skinner – UNCG
2023 – Margaret Evans – UNC Wilmington
2024 – Dylan Savage – Greensboro (Music Academy of NC, UNCG)
2025 – Marie Humphrey – Appalachian State University
Nominations for Teacher of the Year
The nomination period for Teacher of the Year 2025 has passed. Nominations will open again in 2026.
The nomination process is simple: a brief letter describing why the nominee deserves the award. You can send it by email, or use the friendly nomination form on this page. No great detail is required for the initial nomination. There are so many deserving candidates in our state – please consider making a nomination for this honor. (Only NCMTA members may make a nomination.)
