As a kid, Zeda Ali used her mom's pots and pans to make music. Now, she's headed to the Juno awards

A Brampton-based educator is heading to the Juno Awards after being nominated for the MusiCounts teacher of the year award.

Zeda Ali, who teaches music at Sunnyview Middle School, is one of five nominees for the national award that has recognized an "exceptional" Canadian music teacher each year since its inception in 2015.

Ali said her attempts to become a music teacher were rejected for 17 years before she got this job three years ago. But she said the nomination has made it all worthwhile.

"I was stunned. I just sat for like a minute in silence because I couldn't process it," Ali said in an interview.

"You never think those types of things happen when you're just a music teacher."

You never think those types of things happen when you're just a music teacher.- Zeda Ali, Brampton-based music teacher

MusiCounts, a music education charity, said in a press release that Ali "exemplifies inclusivity" by ensuring students' interests and cultures are reflected in the music they make.

"She introduced a steelpan program that empowers the significant population of Caribbean students to make music that reflects their heritage," the release said.

Ali says it wouldn't have been possible without the sacrifices her parents made. 

When she was just about three years old, Ali says would pick anything she could use to make some sound — including using her mother's pots and pans as a drum set. 

Her parents, who immigrated to Canada from Guyana, didn't have much money, Ali says. But after they saw Ali playing piano for hours at family gatherings, they brought her one. 

"They gave up a lot of stuff to buy me that one piano," said Ali.

"And that's when it started. I took lessons and from there I just ate everything up and everything music.

A difficult road to success 

Ali said while a teacher told her when she was young that musical talent is a gift, she left her music class in Grade 9 due to lack of cultural inclusivity.

"I couldn't stand it," Ali said. 

The struggle to fit in continued even when she started teaching, Ali said.

"I faced a ton of racism and discrimination in the last 20-something years, you know, let's say 17 years of even trying to get a music job," she said. 

But once Ali got the job to teach music at Sunnyview, she says she wanted to make sure her students don't go through the same.

That's why she started the Steelpan band, which invovles students learning music from the Caribbean and South Asia. 

"They can't believe I'm playing their music. But their music is very valuable and I like to empower it and showcase the culture we come from," she said.

Rashi Swarup, director of education at Peel District School Board, congratulated Ali in a statement.

"PDSB is very proud of Zeda, we celebrate her accomplishments and honour her commitment to nurturing the musical aspirations of all students," she said.

Ali says if she wins, she will dedicate the award to her parents as well as her students.

The 53rd Juno Awards will take place on March 24 at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax.