Dr. Steve Shanley is the Pearl M. Taylor Professor of Music at Coe College
(Cedar Rapids, IA), where he coordinates the music education and jazz
studies programs, and he is also the conductor of the Cedar Rapids Municipal
Band, a professional ensemble that performs over 20 concerts each year.
Prior to his arrival at Coe, Shanley spent 11 years teaching middle and high
school music in the Cedar Rapids Community School District. He has an
active schedule as a guest conductor, clinician, adjudicator, consultant, and
pianist, and he is also in demand as a composer and arranger. Over 2,000 of
his works have been performed by instrumental and choral ensembles
throughout the world, and his compositions appear on several state lists.
Shanley is currently vice president of the Jazz Educators of Iowa (JEI) and co-
chair of the Iowa Jazz Championships. In addition, he has served as reader
for the College Board Advanced Placement Music Theory examination, item
writer for the ETS Praxis Music examination, contributing author for Teaching
Music Through Performance in Jazz, rhythm section editor for Hal Leonard’s
Latin Jazz Guide, and founding president of JEI. Shanley is a member of the
JEI Hall of Fame, was inducted into Sigma Alpha Iota as a National Arts
Associate, and was honored with the Iowa Bandmasters Association Karl King
Distinguished Service Award. He is co-host of Music Ed Insights, a podcast for
K-12 music educators. Learn more about his teaching, writing, performing,
and conducting at www.steveshanley.com.‍