Meet Shane Conley | Musician and Teacher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shane Conley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shane, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
I think music has a huge impact in people’s lives and communities. For some people it becomes a lifelong passion and career. For other it’s a creative and emotional outlet; something personal that allows them to bring beauty and peace into their life. For others it’s primarily a social competent of their life. playing music with others gives them access to a new community and connects them with people they may otherwise never meet. Certainly music can mean so many things to different people but I think those are two dimension that I find myself considering most often. I think sometimes the reasons we play music get lost when people begin studying because it’s so easy to become fixated on getting better. Of course its extremely rewarding to see your students improve but I think its important to emphasize and help your students consider what music means to them and help them discover and learn the music that they love. If they can keep track of why they are studying music it will always make it more rewarding.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I was born and raised in Redondo Beach. I started playing french horn in 7th grade and fell in love with orchestral music. Ever since then I’ve been pursing a career as a classical musician. I attended Los Angeles County High School for the arts where i was able to be around so many other aspiring artists my age as well as learn from some incredible teachers. I played in ensembles all over Los Angeles County including the American Youth Symphony and the Debut Symphony Orchestra. In 2016 I was a Grand Prize finalists of the Spotlight Music Center Awards which included performing at Walt Disney Concert. I went on to study at McGill University in Montreal where I was lucky to study with amazing faculty both academic and musicians in the Montreal Symphony. After graduating in 2020 I moved back home to Los Angeles to start a Masters in music performance at California State University Long Beach. I’m currently working on expanding a teaching studio and I’m accepting students for French Horn, Composition, and Piano. I’m really excited about helping people of all ages and skills levels develop as musicians and learn the music that they love.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
To me one of the most unique things about Los Angeles is how it sits between ocean and the mountains. If you have a week you could certainly take more time but I remember one day where I went to the beach in morning and then drove up to the mountains where it was snowing in the afternoon. If we go from West to east you could start at the beach; I’m partial to the beaches of the south bay since i grew up there, but every beach from PV to Malibu has something unique to offer. As you drive inland my first stop would be downtown Los Angeles to see Walt Disney Concert Hall and little Tokyo. I’ve had many great nights getting dinner in little Tokyo and then walking over to Disney Concert Hall to catch an LA Philharmonic concert. If you keep going east you can get some amazing authentic Mexican food at El Huarache Azteca. If we to Arcadia you can catch the 626 Night Market an open air market that specializes in East Asian food. After sleeping off the night market hike up one of the many trails into the San Gabriel mountains, if its a clear day and you hike high enough you’ll be able to see all the way to Catalina Island.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My family has provided me so much support in pursing music, I’ll always be grateful for how much they’ve helped me to achieve. I’ve also had so many teachers who have given more than they were expected to help me learn and give me new opportunities. I have to give a special shoutout to my teacher Annie Bosler who is an incredibly gifted teacher. She understands exactly what every student needs to achieve their goals and helped me through so many stages of my development as a musician.

Website: https://www.shaneconleymusic.com/