William S. Carson

William S. Carson, D. M. A.

Alma A. Turechek Professor of Music

Director of Bands

Department Chair

William S. Carson is Music Department Chair and Director of Bands at Coe College, where he conducts the Concert Band and the Senior Honor Band, teaches clarinet and bass clarinet, conducting, and music history courses, and organizes the annual Jazz Summit and Festival of Bands. Carson earned degrees at Macalester College, Southern Illinois University and Arizona State University and has held teaching positions in Illinois, Indiana, New Hampshire, Arizona and Iowa. In 1992 Carson's doctoral dissertation won the Council for Research in Music Education's Outstanding Dissertation Award. Carson has performed with bands, jazz bands (including the band of Frank Sinatra, Jr.), and symphony orchestras throughout Iowa, Illinois, Arizona and New Hampshire. Carson is the administrator and Associate Band Conductor for the Iowa Ambassadors of Music, which performs throughout Europe every other summer.

Carson, who is listed in Marquis Who's Who in American Education, has extensive experience as a guest conductor, including performances with the Blasorchester Leopold Mozart Zentrum, Universität Augsburg, Germany; the National Police Wind Band of France; the United States Army Field Band; the Marine Bands of Camp LeJeune and New Orleans; the Air Force Heartland of America Band; and the CBDNA Regional All-Star Band. Over the years, Carson's travels as a conductor, clinician, researcher, and performer have taken him to thirty-four states and thirty foreign countries, most recently to Germany to present, perform and conduct at the convention of the European Music Educators Association. His book – On the Path to Excellence: The Northshore Concert Band is available at Amazon.com. Carson’s edition of Percy Grainger’s band version of “Spoon River” has been recorded by several bands, including the United States Marine Band and the Dallas Wind Symphony, and performances have been given by professional bands in the United States and Europe, and by college, university, community and high school bands throughout the United States, in Europe and in Australia.