HMTA Teacher of the Year Award
The HMTA 'Teacher of the Year' Award recognizes an exceptional local music teacher who inspires their students, demonstrates a strong commitment to music education, and makes a significant contribution to the music community.
Any current or previous winner of this award can be nominated for the MTNA National Teacher of the Year Award. The winner of the national award will be recognized at the next MTNA National Conference.
ELIGIBILITY
Nominee must be a current member of HMTA.
Nominee must have teaching experience of 9 years or more.
Nominee must live and teach in the state of Hawaiʻi.
Previous winners are not eligible.
Submission Guidelines
Nominations for the 2026 award must be submitted by Wednesday, July 15, 2026 at 11:59PM HST.
Teachers may be nominated by any person (i.e., students, parents, other music teachers, members of their community etc.) who has direct knowledge of the teacher’s contributions to the musical life of their community.
Self-nominations will be accepted.
Nominators are allowed to consult with the nominee as they prepare their submission.
Have questions? Please contact Ignace Jang, HMTA Teacher of the Year coordinator: ignacejang@hmta.org
2025 HMTA Teacher of the Year:
Dr. Thomas Yee
“It is truly a rare gift to find a teacher like Dr. Yee. His combination of musical excellence, warmth, and genuine joy in teaching has made a lasting impact on our family and many others. We feel incredibly fortunate to have crossed paths with him. Dr. Yee volunteers with community programs such as the Hawaii Chamber Music Festival, mentoring students, coaching ensembles, and supporting outreach efforts. His dedication to nurturing young musicians and enriching the local arts scene reflects a deep commitment to both education and community.
Dr. Yee has made meaningful contributions to Hawaii’s music education through both instruction and service. In addition to guiding students to high achievement in competitions, he has actively supported the local music community by coaching chamber ensembles and participating in festivals and collaborative performances.
Dr. Yee is not only an outstanding teacher, but a truly good person. His students feel seen, supported, and inspired in ways that go far beyond music. Dr. Yee has a remarkable ability to guide students not only as musicians but as growing individuals. It’s hard to put into words how much he means to the families he teaches—including ours. Hawaii is lucky to have him!”
— Studio Parent
2024 HMTA Teacher of the Year:
Joanna Zane Fan
“Joanna is an inspiration and mentor to many. She is involved in the HMTA, MTNA, and numerous, local Chinese organizations. Her greatest accomplishment is seeing her students go on to compete on the national and international level. Joanna is humble, encouraging, and makes sure her students will have piano in their lives forever. Her passion is seen when she teaches her students. Joanna has been teaching professionally since she was 15. My aunt is 82 and still plays the piano; her teacher was Joanna. That is a testament to her abilities to have her students love piano for life. Joanna has been around for a very long time and she deserves to be recognized for her many, many years of accomplishments and commitment to music. There is no one piano teacher like Mrs. Fan. She is very unique in her own way and knows how to share her passion with her students. The foundational skills she teaches her students will remain with them for their entire adult life.”
— Student
2023 HMTA Teacher of the Year: Dr. Yuseon Nam
“I have been a student of Dr. Nam for nearly 7 years and during that time, she has tremendously helped me improve my violin playing skills. She is overall an amazing music teacher who pays attention to every detail so that other students and I can always get the best results. I have had many music teachers growing up, but I can genuinely say that Dr. Nam is the most caring and compassionate of them all. I deeply appreciate everything she has done for me and I congratulate her on this well-deserved award.”
— Student
2022 HMTA Teacher of the Year: Dr. Nikki Routman Ebisu
“We are so fortunate to have Nikki teach our family across two generations and it has been a privilege to witness an already excellent teacher grow even further into a recognized educator and leader in the music community.”
— Studio Parent
2021 HMTA Teacher of the Year: Katharine Hafner
“She has helped to make our community not just a better place for my children, but the best place possible for all of us to live in harmony.” -Studio Parent
2020 HMTA Teacher of the Year: Joan Doike
“Her advice has always been "No matter what you do in life - fly!" Thank you for your many wonderful years of flying lessons!” - Joyce Wong, Studio Parent
2019 HMTA Teacher of the Year: Nancy Masaki
“With good food, good music, good wine, I could be happy anywhere. Playing chamber music at home with friends is pure joy. I don’t have to go far.” -Nancy Masaki
2018 HMTA Teacher of the year: Chad Uyehara
“Every once in a while we have teachers that become more than just teachers of a subject or instrument--they become teachers of life. ” -Amy, Hawaii Parent