Robert Taylor is Professor of Conducting and Director of Bands at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music. As the fourth person in the university’s history to hold the Director of Bands position, Taylor conducts the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, teaches graduate and undergraduate conducting, and leads all aspects of the band program. With a career in music education spanning over thirty years, previous appointments include the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC, University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA, and Eureka High School in northern California.

Taylor received the Master of Music and Doctor of Music degrees in conducting from Northwestern University, where he studied with Mallory Thompson, and the Bachelor of Arts degree in Trumpet and Music Education from Humboldt State University. His research on wind literature, rehearsal techniques, integration of cutting-edge technology for performing musicians, and application of Ashtanga Yoga to improve body awareness and injury prevention in the training of nascent conductors, has been featured in presentations at regional, national, and international music conferences, including appearances at the Midwest Clinic, College Band Directors National Association, and on several popular podcasts. Among numerous contributions in leading publications, recent research focuses on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, through contemporary, socially conscious programming and as co-author of The Horizon Leans Forward . . ., a book series that amplifies the talent and voices of underrepresented communities in the wind band field.