Two Portland Public Schools music educators—Abby Hutchins, music teacher at Deering and Casco Bay high schools, and Nate Witherbee, music teacher at Portland Arts and Technology High School (PATHS)—have been nominated for the Manilow Music Teacher Award. The award recognizes outstanding music teachers who bring music to life for their students, and it carries a $10,000 prize.

Witherbee and Hutchins are among 10 Maine music educators vying to be the top vote-getters in an online contest to receive the $10,000 prize—$5,000 in a cash award and $5,000 in Manilow Bucks to purchase instruments for students. Members of the PPS community are encouraged to vote daily for these nominees and help spread the word. Voting ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on March 19. Vote now!

Barry Manilow, a Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter, is touring in 2026 and will perform in Portland on Sunday, April 19, at the Cross Insurance Arena. At every show on his tour, Manilow is celebrating local music educators with the Manilow Music Teacher Award. Created through the Manilow Music Project, a program of the Manilow Fund, the Manilow Music Teacher Award honors educators whose passion and dedication help bring music to life for their students. Nominees were revealed on February 19. The Maine teacher receiving the most online votes will be recognized during Manilow’s concert in Portland and will receive the $10,000 prize.

Learn more about the PPS nominees:

 

Abby Hutchins: Abby Hutchins is a band/chorus teacher at Casco Bay and Deering high schools. She is recognized for building a strong music program, mentoring students for numerous District II and All-State festivals, and recently assisting as musical director in a district production of “Ma Ma Mia.”

Hutchins has been teaching classroom and ensemble music since 2001, and joined the Portland Public Schools in 2009, initially teaching at Lyman Moore Middle School. Hutchins began teaching at Deering in 2022 and has been instrumental in a dramatic resurgence of the school's music program. The expansion includes a dedicated daily block for ensemble groups in the schedule; growing the chorus from a handful of participants to a diverse group of nearly 30; expanding the concert band from just four members to over 20; and establishing an auditioned chamber choir. She also coaches a student handbell group whenever possible. In addition, Hutchins was among those successfully advocating last year for including two additional music teacher positions in the school budget.

Hutchins joined Casco Bay High School this year to start a choral and band program there for the first time. She considers being given the opportunity to establish Casco Bay’s first music program and helping to bring traditional ensembles back to Deering two of her top achievements as a teacher. As a Portland High School alum, Hutchins said, “Having the chance to come back and teach music to the current generation of students is truly inspiring and special.”

She continued: “I believe music education is an important and necessary part of a public school curriculum. I’ve simply wanted to inspire kids and to share the excitement and love of music I have and feel with them. It gives young people a tool and mechanism to express themselves, find their joy, build lifelong connections and friendships, all while gaining skills that they will carry with them their whole lives.”

Nate Witherbee: Witherbee is a music educator at Portland Arts and Technology High School (PATHS). Witherbee is in his third year leading PATHS’ music program, teaching students how to interpret and perform many contemporary musical styles from rock to R&B, pop to jazz and funk. Students perform four times a year, with one evening rock show off campus. Students study music theory, arranging, songwriting, and the ins and outs of the music business.

Additionally, Witherbee has sought to bolster the audio engineering component of the program by adding new spaces and equipment for the students to record, edit, and mix.  Students receive instruction in these domains in addition to a foundation in the physics of sound and electricity, and an in-depth survey of popular music fundamentals. Witherbee values the hands-on nature of the PATHS music program and enjoys seeing how the students thrive when given the freedom to explore new instruments and genres. “At the end of the day,” Witherbee said, “it is the transformative nature of this program that I find most inspiring as a teacher, as students rise to the challenge of each performance and also discover their voices as creators and musicians.” 

The Portland Public Schools is Maine’s largest school district, with more than 6,200 students, and it’s also the most diverse. About one-third of the district’s students come from homes where languages other than English are spoken—a total of 61 languages. Approximately 48 percent of the district’s students are white and 52 percent are students of color. More than half of all PPS students are economically disadvantaged.

 

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