Kendall Youth Orchestra

Mrs. Shawn Morton

Shawn Morton is in her twenty-fourth year as an orchestra teacher here in Gwinnett County. She currently teaches at North Gwinnett HS. Mrs. Morton previously taught at Duluth HS for 16 years and at Five Forks MS for 5 years.

She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and a minor in viola performance. While attending UGA, Mrs. Morton was a member of the Honors program and was president of the UGA chapter of the American String Teachers Association. Mrs. Morton also holds a Masters of Business Administration from Shorter College.

She has worked as a sectional coach with the Gwinnett County Youth Symphony, and she has served as a clinician for local school orchestras, the Spivey Hall Chamber Orchestra Workshop, The Gwinnett County Violapalooza Festival, The Gwinnett County 6th Grade Honor Orchestra, the UGA Summer Music Camp and various other workshops and clinics.

Mrs. Morton has served as the secretary for the Georgia Chapter of the American String Teachers Association and the GMEA District 13 Orchestra Chair. Mrs. Morton is also the GCPS high school orchestra lead teacher and the GA DOE Professional Learning Community Moderator for Orchestra. Mrs. Morton served as the Fine Arts Department Chair at Duluth HS and is the current president of Georgia ASTA.

In addition, Mrs. Morton’s orchestras have performed at the 2007 Midwest Clinic, 2009 American String Teachers Association Conference, the 2011 Georgia Music Educators Association In-service Conference, 2013 National Band and Orchestra Festival at Lincoln Center, the 2014 Midwest Clinic, the 2019 Orchestra Festival at the Kennedy Center, and the 2021 and 2022 GMEA Inservice Conference, and the 2023 Midwest Clinic. She was also the 2021-2022 Duluth HS Teacher of the Year.

Mrs. Morton has presented at the National ASTA Conference, the GMEA Conference, and the Midwest Clinic. Mrs. Morton is a member of the American String Teachers Association, Georgia Music Educators Association, Professional Association of Georgia Educators, and Sigma Beta Delta.

She resides in Buford, GA with her husband, Dale, son, Hudson, and dog Aria.

Mrs. Laura Wood

Laura Wood is enjoying her 22nd year as a string orchestra educator. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Loyola University New Orleans and a Masters in Administrative Leadership.

Mrs. Wood began her teaching career in 2004 in Las Vegas, Nevada in the Clark County School District. In Las Vegas, Mrs. Wood directed both middle school and high school orchestras, as well as the Las Vegas Youth Orchestra Ensemble. In 2018, she and her family relocated to the suburbs of Atlanta, where she started the orchestra program at Paul Duke STEM HS.

Currently, Mrs. Wood is the orchestra director at Lanier High School (Hook em’ Horns!) in Gwinnett County. She was named the Lanier HS STAR Teacher in 2023 and 2024, 2024-2025 Lanier HS Teacher of the Year, and GCPS Teacher of the Year Top 25 Semi-Finalist. Under her leadership, her ensembles consistently score superior ratings and superlatives at district and regional festivals. The Lanier Chamber Orchestra recently performed at the American String Teachers Association Conference in 2025.

In addition to being a school orchestra director, she is an active clinician, guest conductor, adjudicator, and teacher mentor in GCPS and beyond. Mrs. Wood has had the privilege of working with honor orchestras in Georgia and Tennessee. She also had the honor of conducting the first Nevada Middle School All-State Orchestra in 2024.

Her professional affiliations include the National Association for Music Education, the American String Teachers Association, and the Georgia Music Educators Association. Mrs. Wood is a Kendall and GCYS student alumni, sectional coach, and conductor. She is proud to be back conducting the prestigious group of student musicians alongside Mrs. Morton for another exciting season!

When Mrs. Wood is not teaching, she enjoys spending time with her husband (Mike) and four daughters (Emily, Olivia, Ava, and Adeline) in her hometown of Sugar Hill.