Renee Shatley inducted into Music Educators Hall of Fame

Renee V. Shatley, a distinguished music educator and conductor from Connelly Springs, has been inducted into the North Carolina Music Educators Association (NCMEA) High School Choral Section Hall of Fame.

The induction ceremony will take place on Monday, Nov. 10, at Centenary United Methodist Church in Winston-Salem, recognizing her decades-long contributions to music education and choral excellence across the state.

Shatley is one of only three educators inducted this year, joining a prestigious group of just 25 honorees in NCMEA history — and one of only three inductees ever from the Catawba and Burke County regions.

A Lifetime of Musical Leadership

Shatley graduated summa cum laude from Mars Hill University with a Bachelor of Music Education and earned her Master of Science in Music Education, magna cum laude, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Since 2007, Shatley has served as Chancel Choir director at First United Methodist Church of Hickory, later becoming director of music in 2022.

In this role, she directs the Chancel Choir, Handbell Choir, and multiple intergenerational musical programs.

She also serves as associate conductor of the Hickory Choral Society and previously taught as adjunct faculty at Lenoir-Rhyne University from 2017 to 2023.

Earlier in her career, Shatley spent over two decades teaching choral music across North Carolina, including A. C. Reynolds High and Middle Schools (1988-91), Bandys High School (1991-94), East Burke High School (1994-2008), and Jimmy C. Draughn High School (2008-17).

She was assistant director when Bandy’s High School marching band performed in President Bill Clinton’s 1993 first inaugural parade. She was named Burke County Teacher of the Year in 2014.

Shatley’s performance credits include the 4 Pianos N Sync concert series (2018-22), The Gershwin Project with Hickory Ballet (2021), co-directing the Foothills Festival Singers and the Hickory Music Factory Jim Jerome Williams Tribute Concert Choir. She is also a published arranger, with her TTBB a cappella setting of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.”

A Musical Journey of Purpose and Passion

Shatley’s love for music began early. At just 3 years old, she sang to her bedridden grandfather and by 5, had asked to learn piano.

“Everything with music was easy,” she recalls, “though my parents still had to remind me to practice.” By junior high school she was accompanying choirs in church and in school — an early sign of the educator she would become.

She credits her high school choral director, Jim Jerome Williams, for inspiring her path, calling him “a mentor and a positive influence throughout my life.” “He gave his students the opportunity to accompany his choir and was the person who introduced me to Mars Hill University.”

At Mars Hill University, Shatley studied under Dr. Bill Thomas, her first two years, whom she credits with broadening her musical horizons. “Dr. Thomas opened my world — from taking us to Europe, singing with his 40-member audition choir, and always expecting excellence that showed us how music and discipline can change lives. He even sang and directed my two advanced choirs from AC Reynolds High School at my wedding.”

During the last two years at Mars Hill University, Shatley studied under Dr. Joel Reed who, through his teaching style, provided additional opportunities to discover other important educational perspectives.

A Legacy of Excellence

“Renee is an outstanding musician and also the kind of colleague everyone hopes to have — reliable, gracious, encouraging, and positive,” said Dr. Ryan Luhrs, artistic director of the Hickory Choral Society and associate professor of Choral Music at Lenoir-Rhyne University.”

Shatley’s induction into the NCMEA Hall of Fame cements her legacy as an educator who has not only shaped countless students and choir members but has also uplifted her community through the transformative power of music.

About the North Carolina Music Educators Association

The MCMEA is a state affiliate of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) dedicated to advancing music education by promoting excellence in teaching and learning. The High School Choral Section Hall of Fame honors outstanding educators who have made lasting contributions to choral music in North Carolina.