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Ginger Hwalek, an instructor of music in UMaine’s School of Performing Arts, was recently awarded the title of 2006 Music Teacher of the Year by the Music Teachers National Association.
She was notified of the award earlier this month, after being nominated without her knowledge by a friend.
“It was just a shock,” Hwalek said. “At first I thought it was a joke.”
Hwalek has been active on and off with the MTNA since 1983 and has been teaching professionally for over 30 years.
Hwalek started her musical career at age four, when she began studying the piano.
She earned a bachelor’s of music degree from Indiana University, followed by a master’s degree for piano and performance from Wichita State University.
In 1988, she completed Northwestern University’s doctorate of music program in piano chamber music and accompanying.
She began teaching at UMaine in 1983, primarily as a piano instructor.
She is also the director of the chamber music program and the Maine Summer Youth Music program, a music camp sponsored by the university’s division of music.
“I love being with students,” Hwalek said.
“It’s important to get to know your students well. You need to know what makes them tick outside the classroom.”
Throughout her career, Hwalek has had students at almost every age and grade level.
Recently she was involved in a state competition for high school students, but her newly-earned award has put her back into the national scene with the MTNA. The association is organized at national, state and regional levels.
“I’ve been active at all three levels,” Hwalek said, pointing out that she had once served on the committee which chooses the award winner for Teacher of the Year, along with a large variety of other positions at each level.
She has also served as editor and co-editor of the organization’s newsletter.
To be chosen for the honor, Hwalek had to be nominated by a member of the MTNA Maine state board.
Her nomination was reviewed by a board of five members, ranging all over the United States.
“It’s quite an honor,” she said. “This award is very important for the state.”
She went on to say that because Maine has such a small number of MTNA members, it is not often active at the national level.
“It has helped Maine a lot, and the University of Maine.”
The MTNA is a large organization, with members from every state.
The association organizes conferences at both the state and national levels, designs programs for students and teachers, offers grants to teachers for continuing education and works to increase the availability of teaching materials and new ideas across its membership.
The association also publishes a journal, the American Music Teacher, and organizes summer music camps for younger students.
“It’s a big group,” Hwalek said. “It’s great for networking and meeting people.”
Hwalek lives in Bangor with her husband, John. She has been a host mother to four children from Greenland, Hong Kong, Thailand and Italy, and she has two children of her own.
In addition to teaching, she has served as a professional accompanist in the Bangor area since 1982, and as a conductor on several occasions.
Bangor Daily News