Long-time music teacher Mary Piercey-Lewis has received some recognition for the work she's done in the territory.

She received the King Charles III Coronation Medal on Feb. 20 from Governor General Mary Simon for outstanding achievement in education. The ceremony happened at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.

Piercey-Lewis said she first received a phone call from Simon's office telling her about the honour.

SA国际影视传媒淚 was shocked and excited," she said. "The only thing I can imagine is because over the years we have performed for her a number of times. Over the past 20 years, ISA国际影视传媒檝e just been working on developing curriculum in Nunavut schools and working with Elders and tradition bearers to ensure that tradition is kept and language is preserved."

Piercey-Lewis credits her childhood and growing up in Newfoundland for her interest in ethno-musicology, which is what her doctorate is in.

SA国际影视传媒淲hen I started to teach in Nunavut, it just seemed natural to me that if you were going to have a successful music program, and for kids to really enjoy it and value it, it would be the music of where they are from that would create that sense of pride in what theySA国际影视传媒檙e doing in the classroom," she said. "ThatSA国际影视传媒檚 the type of thing youSA国际影视传媒檙e looking for."

Piercey-Lewis also said it's important to bring in experts to ensure what's being done is authentic.

SA国际影视传媒淭hatSA国际影视传媒檚 why bringing the Elders in, bringing the Inuktitut teachers in, bring knowledge bearers in, is so important," she said. "It wasnSA国际影视传媒檛 really me teaching the music, it was me facilitating Inuit from within the culture to pass on those traditions.SA国际影视传媒�

In receiving the award, Piercey-Lewis said she feels her biggest achievement is the flourishing music program at Inuksuk High School in Iqaluit, which she plans to keep building and hopefully making music part of the education curriculum in the territory, which right now doesn't exist.

SA国际影视传媒淭here are so many kids now, over the years, that have come out of that program who have gone on to be successful musicians, or other aspects of life," she said. SA国际影视传媒滻 have alumni of the choir that continue to work with us, so just to have the full circle of people who come from the program, who are now mentors that help out, and knowing that theySA国际影视传媒檝e been successful in life.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淚 really want to be part of writing a music curriculum for Nunavut thatSA国际影视传媒檚 Nunavut-based," she added. "I really want to be a part of teacher training, whether that would be working over at the [Nunavut Arctic] college, developing music courses to help teachers to implement curricula in Nunavut schools. ThatSA国际影视传媒檚 a huge dream.SA国际影视传媒�