“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
Joan and her student at the 2019 Hawaiʻi State Music Competition Honors Ceremony
HMTA is proud to announce violinist and HYS conductor Joan Doike as the Hawaii Music Teachers Association 2020 Teacher of the Year for her excellence in teaching and contribution to the community. The Teacher of the Year Award recognizes an individual teacher who has made a difference in students' lives, has contributed to the advancement of music in their community and is an example of a professional music educator.
Joan Doike directed orchestras in the HYS program for fourteen years prior to moving to Indiana. While in Indiana, she taught at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music Pre-College String Academy. Upon returning to the islands, in addition to resuming her positions at the HYS as conductor for both Beginning String Ensemble & String Orchestra Ensemble, she also maintained a private teaching studio. As a student, Ms. Doike was a violinist in HYS while at Kaimuki Intermediate and Kalani High schools and she continued on to receive her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Hawaii. Joan’s two daughters, violinist/violist Zoe Martin-Doike and violist Ren Martin-Doike are internationally acclaimed professional musicians (graduates of the Curtis Institute, Indiana University, and the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris) and are now performing with the Metropolitan Opera and Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra.
“Joan is always genuinely engaged and supportive and happy to share her wisdom and expertise to help people achieve their highest potential. She has a rare ability to connect with students at their level in ways that excite their passion for music-making. ”
— Studio Parent
“Her enthusiasm is contagious.”
— Studio Parent
Joan has a deep personal investment in each of her students, whether she is working with a student from her private studio, youth from her orchestra, or someone she encounters in her work in the community.
“Through stories and conversations, she helps students learn resilience, perseverance, humility, risk-taking, and to develop confidence in themselves as musicians and as humans. She forms true partnerships with parents and she promotes the ‘ohana’ spirit in her studio. She encourages bonding and peer support and calls each other “violin brothers and sisters'', building life-long friendships and memories. She believes in service, mentorship and volunteerism, and asks her older students to serve as assistants for her HYS youth orchestras, inspiring and developing future teachers.” — Studio Parent
“She helps students prepare for auditions and competitions, but to Joan, competitions are never about winning, but about becoming comfortable with performing and working towards a performance that is true to the student’s artistic vision. She values personal expression over perfection.” — Studio Parent
Joan is a gifted teacher and makes a positive impact on the heart and soul of her students. She believes in building lifelong learners and making an imprint on the development of the child. We are proud to call Joan Doike our 2020 HMTA Teacher of the Year!
