Katie Noonan had "the voice of an angel" at an early age, her primary school music teacher says.
"The first time I saw her play piano was in the moment, she had this mesmerising stage presence even then as a child," Michael Mangan said.
![Katie Noonan with her childhood music teacher Michael Mangan.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170607091629im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/i/m/m/l/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gwimlu.png/1496761177105.jpg)
And while Mr Mangan was not her first music teacher – that was her mother, opera singer Maggie Noonan – Noonan said he inspired her to explore different types of music.
"I'm still not quite coping with calling him Michael, by the way, 'cause I still want to call him Mr Mangan," she said.
![Mr Mangan said inspiration was a two-way street, and Katie's success had inspired him to perform again.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170607091629im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/i/m/m/p/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gwimlu.png/1496761177105.jpg)
"It was Michael that introduced me to the idea of songwriting, and singer-songwriter stuff."
The importance of music teachers is being celebrated with a new ARIA award for Music Teacher of the Year, which is open to any music teacher working in a school, early education centre or a private music school.
Nominations for the new award open today, and anyone – fellow teachers, students, or family – can nominate a teacher they think is worthy of the prize.
"A good music teacher literally will change your life and enable you to see a path in your future, potentially, as a musician," Noonan said.
"[They give] you a sense of confidence and just self-belief that you are important enough to tell your story and sing your thing."
Mr Mangan, who worked as a classroom music teacher and with school choirs in primary schools for about 14 years, said it was wonderful to be able to pass on a passion for music to his pupils.
"There's an exhilaration to it," he said.
"I was always pretty passionate about what I did, and I just hoped some of that would rub off on my students and they'd get to see the joy that I got from it."
As well as rewarding great music teaching, the inaugural ARIA Music Teacher of the Year Award has been introduced to highlight the importance of music education.
"I'm an absolute advocate for the importance and necessity of music education for kids, now that I'm a mum myself particularly," Noonan said.
"I believe that every child in Australia should have music available to them."
Noonan, along with with Jay Laga'aia, Jessica Mauboy and Missy Higgins, will visit shortlisted music teachers and their schools, before a public vote and a presentation of the award at the ARIAs in November.
"I'm thrilled, I think it's going to be so cool, because without music teachers, none of us would be here," Noonan said.
"I have not had the opportunity to do so much education because I've been lucky enough to be a full-time performer, I also really acutely know the amazing amount of energy it takes to be a teacher.
"My mum has taught her whole life, and it's amazing but you give a lot of yourself."
But Mr Mangan said it's not all give – music teachers gain inspiration from their students too.
"Katie's very kindly mentioned that I had some inspirational quality for her, well the reverse is kind of true too," he said.
After more than a decade of teaching, Mr Mangan said he started to see his former students become successful performers, which was the encouragement he needed to start performing again.
"It inspired me to take a punt, and I'm a touring musician now myself," he said.
"It's kind of a two-way street: [while I] may have given inspiration, I've got some back too, from Katie and from other students who've done well as well."