Shirley J. Anderson

Shirley J. Anderson has taught Class Piano at Hardin-Simmons since 2002. She is an honor graduate of HSU with a Bachelor of Music in piano performance and a Master of Music in theory and composition. At HSU she was recipient of the SAI Scholarship, the Dean’s Honor Award, and selected a member of Phi Kappa Lambda music honor society.

Anderson previously taught piano at HSU from 1983 to 1987 and at McMurry University from 1993 to 1996. She has been on the faculty of Abilene Summer Piano Camp since its beginning in 2005.

She has maintained a successful independent piano studio in Abilene for over 30 years. The Abilene Music Teachers Association selected her as Teacher of the Year in 1979, 1985, and 2001. In 1995 she was awarded the prestigious Award for Outstanding Pre-collegiate Teaching by Texas Music Teachers Association.

Anderson has held many offices in Abilene Music Teachers Association and is currently president. During her 2002 tenure, AMTA was selected by Music Teachers National Association as the Local Association of the Year. In Texas Music Teachers Association she has served three times on the Board of Directors. She is a faculty member of the National Guild of Piano Teachers and Chairman of the Abilene Center.

Active as an accompanist in the community, Anderson currently serves as a staff accompanist at HSU. She has been the accompanist for The Classical Chorus of Abilene for 16 years and is pianist at Lytle South Baptist Church. For 14 years she played for the Cooper High School choirs and toured with them in Austria, England, New York, Canada, and Italy.

Anderson is the wife of Marcus R. Anderson, mother of April (Mrs. Bill) Darroch, and grandmother of Hannah and Samuel.