Director Joshua Shafer

Joshua Shafer is the Director of Choirs and Performing Arts Chair at Liberty High School in the Peoria Unified School District, teaching over 200 singers across five choirs. He is in his 19th year of teaching. His choirs consistently earn Superior ratings and Distinction captions at regional and state festivals. Adjudicator reviews of his conducted competition performances include praise for "impeccable intonation" and "thrilling resonance and tonal energy." Dr. Alyssa Cossey (co-Director of Choral Activities at University of Arizona), dubbed Liberty Chamber Choir "the Ferrari of choirs" and commented that they "could pretty much sing anything." Mr. Shafer also serves as musical director of the annual school musical; recent productions include Fiddler on the Roof, Grease, Peter and the Starcatcher, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and The Drowsy Chaperone. Students from his program receive invitations to perform in the AMEA North Central Regional and All-State choirs annually, and many actively participate in local community and church choirs and theater organizations. Mr. Shafer also serves on the PUSD Arts Education Advisory Team as High School Choir Lead. He has presented professional development seminars on topics including repertoire selection, grooming the changing adolescent voice, and close reading in the choir rehearsal. Additional responsibilities include curriculum development, professional development, and teacher mentoring. Outside of PUSD, Mr. Shafer served a six-year term on the City of Peoria Arts Commission from 2014-2020. In 2016, Mr. Shafer received the PUSD Pride of Peoria Award, and he received the Liberty High School “Teach Like a Lion” award twice, in 2019 and 2022. Mr. Shafer graduated cum laude from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam with a BM in Music Education. He studied choral conducting and pedagogy with Daniel Gordon and Rebecca Reames, with additional study and mentorship from Jamie Spillane and Carol Krueger. While at Crane, he also studied classical saxophone with Timothy McAllister and instrumental conducting with Timothy Topolewski. Mr. Shafer lives in Peoria, AZ, with his wife, Arianne, a middle school choral director, and Pebbles, their clingy-yet-lovable dachshund.