Teacher Profile: Margaret Shawver

About Margaret Shawver

Margaret Shawver has been a musician since the age of five, when she begged her parents for piano lessons--and fortunately, Dr. Calvin Knapp, of PLU fame, lived five houses up the hill. Margaret played in talent shows, won awards for her elementary school music compositions, and, at age 11, deciding that the piano was a bit too unwieldy to carry to school and back, decided to pick up the flute as a second instrument. She was just as fortunate in her flute career: playing in Mason band under Mr. Sorensen, then moving on to Stadium HS under the iconic Jack Lloyd.

Simultaneously, she auditioned for, and was accepted into, the Tacoma Youth Symphony program, starting at the Wind Ensemble under Rex Turner, moving to the Tacoma Young Artist Orchestra under Dale Johnson, and finally ending as second chair at Tacoma Youth Symphony under Dr. Paul Elliot-Cobbs, as well as being accepted into the Evergreen Music Festival every summer. She studied privately under Ms. Jeannie Hill, principal piccolo of the Northwest Symphonietta, for seven years, and played in the Northwest Flute Collegium every year as well. She took Honorable Mention in the Horsfall Flute Solo competition her senior year, as well as placing in Solo/Ensemble City and State throughout her HS career.

As an adult hobbyist musician, Margaret has played at weddings and performances with such notables as Dave Beck, principal cellist of the Auburn Symphony Orchestra, and Stephen O'Bent, trombonist and conductor. Although her list of flute accomplishments is more tangible, Margaret is also an accomplished pianist, and has reacquainted herself with the instrument as she has entered motherhood, so she can teach her little ones. Margaret is also a certificated teacher, with a Masters in Science Education, and cares deeply about inspiring the next generation of mathematicians, scientists, and musicians--and in her mind, they are basically the same thing.

Margaret loves music theory in particular, and offers this analytical approach to the beauty of music to all families who are interested. She is passionate about making fundamentals interesting to beginning learners, and about showing, through her example, that learning how music is made is an enriching way to spend your time, no matter where your career may take you!