Raquel McIntosh shaping lives through music
April 7, 2026
The day before the Juno Awards, MusiCounts Teacher of the Year nominee Raquel McIntosh was walking through Jackson Square in downtown Hamilton when she heard someone call out, “Ms. Bell,” her maiden name.
She turned to see a young woman and politely asked, “Who are you?”
“Do you remember me?” the woman replied before sharing her name.
Julianah Oguntala explained that she is now completing her medical residency and had wanted to thank her former teacher.
“I knew I was not musically inclined, but you pushed me, and I was able to play the tenor saxophone,” she told McIntosh.
The encounter left a lasting impression.
“I cried, and I said, ‘I won that award,’” McIntosh recalled.
Just over 24 hours later, she did just that, becoming only the second Black educator, after Darren Hamilton in 2022, to receive the honour since its establishment in 2005.
Moments like that, McIntosh said, capture the true essence of teaching. For her, they are not rare exceptions, but reflections of a deeper purpose.
Most educators do not enter the profession in pursuit of awards. The real reward, she noted, lies in making a difference in the lives of young people and seeing them go on to excel far beyond the classroom. Often, that impact reveals itself in unexpected ways.
One such moment came during a routine trip to Walmart.
While shopping last year, she again heard someone call out, “Ms. Bell,” and turned to see a bearded young man looking at her.
“I told him, ‘You were one of my students, but who are you?’” McIntosh recounted. “When he said his name, I remembered him right away. He had given me a run for my money, and at the time, I wasn’t sure where he was headed.”
He shared what he was doing now and thanked her for the role she played in his life.
“He said, ‘I’m doing well now, and part of that is because of you and the way you kept me in line. I am sorry for giving you a bit of a hard time in class, but I want to thank you’,” said McIntosh.
They have kept in touch by email ever since, a quiet testament to the lasting bonds teachers often build with their students.
While those personal connections define McIntosh’s work, the recognition she received carried broader meaning.
The MusiCounts award, presented by Anthem Music Group, held special significance, particularly with the Junos taking place in her hometown.
It not only brought recognition to her 115-year-old school, but also shone a light on music programs that are often vulnerable to funding cuts. The award included a significant financial contribution that will help enhance the school’s music program.
That support has helped sustain a transformation already underway.
Raquel McIntosh celebrates with the Arkells (Photo by CARAS-Ryan Bolton)
Since arriving at Adelaide Hoodless Elementary School four years ago, McIntosh has reshaped the music program into a vibrant and inclusive space, expanding opportunities for students and strengthening its impact across the school community.
“About 70 percent of the instruments needed repairs, and some were completely unplayable,” she said. “There was also a lack of continuity, as teachers did not stay for long periods, which was understandable since many were part-time. I was full-time, spending two days a week at the school.”
McIntosh also taught music twice weekly at Balaclava Elementary School where her husband, Kurt McIntosh, is now the music teacher.
Early challenges extended beyond resources.
Very early in McIntosh’s first semester, students doubted she would stay, often telling her, “I guess we won’t be seeing you next year.”
“They were very guarded and did not trust what I represented,” she said. “It took a lot of work to earn their respect and get them onside. I spent that entire first year building relationships and getting to know them. At times, I wasn’t even teaching music because that wasn’t the priority. I listened, trying to understand what they wanted from the program.”
That relational foundation proved critical to what followed.
In her second year, McIntosh added an extra half-day to her schedule before successfully advocating for a full-time presence at the school.
“This is where I needed to be,” she said. “I had to contend with losing our music room because they needed the space due to an expanding student population. This is a growing community.”
Despite those challenges, the program has flourished.
Last year, Adelaide Hoodless and Balaclava combined to form a choir for the annual Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) Choirfest, showcasing students’ musical talent. The two schools are collaborating again for this year’s festival next month.
“Our students are so talented,” said McIntosh who spent almost a decade with the Toronto District School Board. “Once you have their trust, they give their all and are willing to learn.”
That trust is central to her philosophy of student ownership.
“When students care about their performance, they care about the outcome, and when they care about that, excellence and high standards come into play,” McIntosh said. “At that point, the journey becomes central. Within that journey is the progression from failure to success. Even though they begin at different stages of experience, it’s about creating a safe space to learn together and support one another. Taking ownership means taking responsibility for both yourself and each other.”
That approach extends beyond performance into broader school initiatives.
McIntosh is a key contributor to the school’s Creative Minds initiative, conceived by principal Marissa Turner, which aligns educators’ strengths and passions with student voices to better meet learner needs.
She also founded Beyond the Soundtrack, a pilot program that blends spoken word, slam poetry, restorative practice and musical foundations, helping prepare students for the school’s highly anticipated mobile music production studio.
“I believe it’s important to include all forms of music, even when there is occasional pushback about what is considered culturally relevant,” McIntosh noted. “I like band, choir, classical, jazz and gospel. I also like producing. It has always been something at the back of my mind. When I applied last year for a MusiCounts grant, I thought about what this community needed. After losing the music room, I could not do band.”
Without a dedicated space, she reimagined how the program could function, transporting instruments, adapting lessons and maintaining opportunities for instrumental music through a mobile setup.
Support from MusiCounts helped bring that vision to life. Through its Innovation Fund, the organization provides schools with resources to develop culturally relevant and contemporary programs that reflect the diverse identities of their students.
With that funding, McIntosh was able to purchase new equipment and expand programming.
“In the next month, we will start recording pieces about ourselves along with the instruments,” the mother of three young children said. “That is what Beyond the Soundtrack is about.”
Grade 7 student Theodora Eguavoen is already seeing the impact.
“Mrs. McIntosh has been teaching us fundamentals like vocals, learning music theory and expressing our emotions while listening to music,” said Eguavoen whose favourite instrument is the piano.
McIntosh has also created an affinity space for students who identify as Black.
“We don’t have an official Black Students Association, which has to be student-led, but I am mentoring them towards that,” she said. “They are leaders in Beyond the Soundtrack.”
Through this work, she continues to model Black excellence, ensuring BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and diverse students have spaces where they can be vulnerable, explore identity and grow through music-making.
That work has also been strengthened by strong leadership within the school.
Creative ideas can emerge anywhere, but they are far more likely to thrive when supported by leadership.
Turner’s leadership created the space for McIntosh to take risks and bring her vision to life.
“It has built a sense of community where the outcome of the Junos did not matter,” she said. “It was about the nomination process, building excitement along the way, and the recognition that allowed us to highlight the best of Raquel as both a person and an educator. Music is an incredible space for expression and student voice. She has developed talent in a very organic and unique way, especially among students who did not believe they had it.”
School principal Marissa Turner (r) and her staff presented a vinyl record with staff members’ well wishes to McIntosh (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
That impact is felt most clearly by the students themselves.
Sianna Prasad, a Grade 8 student, is proud of her teacher’s Juno accomplishment.
“Every time she shows up in the classroom, I am so excited because she brings that energy,” the teenager said. “She has encouraged me and taught me so much. She is a great teacher.”
Raquel McIntosh with music students Theodora Eguavoen (l) & Sianna Prasad (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
Before joining the HWDSB, McIntosh was the general music conductor of the Toronto Children’s Concert Choir (TC3), founded by Rev. Denise Gillard.
“For me, seeing Raquel win the award was more than vindication,” she said. “It was confirmation. I have witnessed her struggles and stood with her through difficult moments in education when she often felt alone. She overflows with love, and that goes beyond emotion. She puts that love into action, constantly striving to improve. She sets high standards, creates the path to achieve them, and is like a flower breaking through the sidewalk.”
Like many educators, McIntosh’s path to the classroom was shaped long before she formally stepped into it.
Her connection to music began early and gradually evolved into a deeper sense of purpose.
McIntosh’s musical journey started in church, attending with her grandmother at the age of four.
“I remember sitting on the balcony with her and looking down at the worship band and telling myself I am going to be in music,” she said. “I come from a creative family and knew then I was going to be part of music.”
That early inspiration soon became hands-on experience. When she later began attending the Church of God with her mother, music became something to actively participate in rather than simply observe.
“They would give us instruments or put you in the choir whether you could sing or not,” McIntosh, a member of Worldwide/WordWalk Global Ministries, recalled. “We took part in community events and competitions. You were going to sing or dance and, in doing so, explore every creative aspect to see where you would fit in.”
Recognizing her passion, her mother enrolled her in piano lessons at age six. By middle school, she was playing both tenor and alto saxophone in the band, continuing into high school, where she credits an influential teacher (Paul Llew-Williams)
It was in her final year at T.L. Kennedy Secondary School in Mississauga that her direction became clear.
“I was offered a position to teach night school and my oldest student was 92 years old,” said McIntosh, who later studied classical piano at York University. “Though I was 18, the class welcomed me and were excited to learn. I didn’t have any experience, but I fell into place and felt I was on a trajectory to teach, and that is what I am going to do.”
That experience marked a turning point when music became more than a passion and evolved into a calling. It is a perspective that continues to shape her work today, evident in the way she builds programs, connects with students and creates spaces where young people can discover their own voice through music.
McIntosh’s story is not defined by an award, but by the lives she continues to shape long after her students leave the classroom. In hallways, in chance encounters and in the quiet confidence of young voices finding their place through music, her impact endures.
Like the legacy of Adelaide Hoodless who championed education for women through domestic science, it is a reminder that meaningful education extends far beyond the curriculum. It builds people, strengthens communities and leaves a lasting imprint that time cannot erase.
