Columbus City Schools Teacher Awarded Teacher of the Year by Technology in Music Education
January 26, 2022 -- Fort Hayes Arts and Academic Audio Production instructor Ryan Van Bibber has been selected as the recipient of the 2022 Technology in Music Education (TI:ME) Mike Kovins Teacher of the Year Award.
The Award was established in 2005 in memory of Mike Kovins, one of the charter members of TI:ME. Kovins was a dedicated and generous teacher who exemplified the mission of TI:ME by teaching music with technology and helping other music teachers integrate technology into their teaching.
"Schools need music technology now more than ever! Music tech courses have the potential to go beyond the traditional Western canon," said Van Bibber. "To teach students knowledge and skills relevant to the music they enjoy and reach a broader population of students, including those who choose not to perform in large ensembles, students with disabilities, and students who have been traditionally left out of the dominant school culture."
TI:ME is a national 503c nonprofit dedicated to encouraging and helping music teachers integrate technology into the teaching of music. Incorporating technology into music instruction has consistently shown positive results in terms of engagement and 21st-century college and career readiness.
Each year, TI:ME chooses to recognize an exemplary teacher who leads by example, integrating technology into music education and assisting other teachers in advancing the quality of their music instruction through technology integration. The highly coveted, prestigious award is undoubtedly the highest award achievable in the field of Music Technology.
Through his work with Columbus City Schools, Columbus State Community College, and Fort Hayes Career Center, Ryan Van Bibber has shown exemplary dedication to creating meaningful and engaging music instruction with technology. Van Bibber has consistently modeled and championed true excellence in teaching. His professionalism, excellence, dedication, and enthusiasm for his craft are a beacon to others of what can be done in the field of music technology, and it is for this reason, amongst others, that he was awarded Teacher of the Year.
“I am very humbled and honored to receive the Teacher of the Year award from TI:ME,” said Van Bibber. “As a former middle school band director turned music technology instructor, I am happy to be an ambassador for this emergent content area.”