Dr. Shannon Shaker holds the position of Assistant Professor, Director of Bands at Grand Rapids Community College. She leads the Wind Ensemble Campus Band, and Jazz Ensemble, and teaches applied clarinet, along with other music classes in the department. Shannon served as Director of Bands and Music Education at Frostburg State University in Frostburg, Maryland from 2018 - 2020. In addition to her work at Grand Rapids Community College, Shannon is the founder and artistic director of a summer community band, Beer City Winds based in Grand Rapids.
Shannon holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Wind Conducting from Arizona State University where she was a conducting student of Gary W. Hill, and served as a teaching assistant in the wind band program. Her research document, “Paucity of Female College Band Directors as Faculty and Conductors at National Conferences in the United States, 2017–2018,” provided a much-needed update to gender issues currently facing wind bands, especially in higher education. In 2016, Shannon earned her Masters of Music in Wind Conducting with John E. Williamson. Before pursuing graduate studies, Shannon completed her Bachelor of Music Education at Central Michigan University, and taught music to students of all ages in Eagle County, CO and Ypsilanti, MI. Shannon is from Pinconning, Michigan, and earned her Bachelor of Music Education degree from Central Michigan University in 2009.
Dr. Shaker is the founder of the Women’s Band Composition Contest which she created to encourage and support women composers for wind band. The contest ran in 2017 and 2018, and Shannon is hoping to restart it again soon. Through the contest, women composers are connected with band directors from across the country, and provided opportunities for performances and collaborations. For more information, and to see the winning works, visit www.shannonshaker.com
Shannon is active in the professional music community. She is a member of the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA), College Music Society, National Association for Music Education, World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE), the National Association for Music Education, and Women Band Director International (WBDI), where she has served as scholarship chair since 2019. Shannon is an active guest conductor, clinician, and presenter.
Degrees and Certifications
- Doctorate of Musical Arts in Wind Conducting
