Novi HS Band Director Honored By Peers With Award

NOVI, MI — A band teacher at Novi High School has been honored by his peers as one of Michigan's elite teachers in music education, according to the Novi Community School District. It announced Thursday that the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association has named Mark Hourigan, the director of bands at Novi High School, as District 4 Band Teacher of the Year.

Hourigan, 49, has been with the Novi district since 1999, when he began teaching music to fifth- and sixth-grade students. He began teaching at Novi High School in 2002, according to a statement from the district.

Hourigan oversees Novi High's entire band program, which includes three concert ensembles, a jazz ensemble and the school's marching band. Under his direction, the Novi bands have won numerous superior ratings at district and state festivals, the statement added.

“I use music to teach life lessons — hard work, discipline, teamwork, responsibility, accountability,” Hourigan said in a 2015 interview, according to the statement. “Preparing the students for life is an important part of my philosophy, and I have the opportunity to teach the same students for all four years of high school."

Before arriving in Novi, Hourigan taught in public schools in Elkhart, Ind., from 1990 to 1993 and in St. Joseph from 1993 to 1999. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in music from Western Michigan University.

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