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William C. Lanning, Jr. (W. C.) is a native of Winston-Salem, NC. He is a graduate of West Forsyth Senior High School. Mr. Lanning holds a Bachelor of Music Education Degree from Mars Hill College and the Master of Music Education Degree from Appalachian State University.

Mr. Lanning retired from teaching in 2010, after serving as a public school band director for 28 years. He has held band director positions at Flat Rock Junior High School and East Henderson High School (Henderson County, NC), Rockbridge Middle School (Rockbridge County, Va.), South Iredell High School (Iredell County, NC), Freedom High School (Burke County, NC), and at West Davidson and East Davidson High Schools (Davidson County, NC), and Meadowlark Middle School (Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, NC). He is currently working as the Educational Coordinator for Separk Music Company in Winston-Salem, NC.

Bands under Mr. Lanning's direction and co-direction have earned 32 Superior Ratings at the North Carolina State Concert Band Festival and 2 Superior Ratings at the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association State Concert Band Festival. The East Henderson High School Band was selected to perform for President George H. Bush on his 1992 visit to Hendersonville. Bands under his direction have also won numerous "Superior" ratings at marching band contests and festivals through the years.   

During his five year tenure at Meadowlark Middle School, the band program was a consistent leader in placing students into the Forsyth All-County Band, the Northwest All-District Band, and the North Carolina All-State Band. Along with fellow directors Matt Liner and Forrest Munden, Mr. Lanning developed the MMS 8th Grade Band into one of only a handful of "Superior" Grade IV middle school bands in the state.

During his eight year tenure at East Henderson High School, he developed the East High Symphonic Band into a Grade VI band program that consistently earned "Superior" ratings at the North Carolina State Concert Band Festival and was recognized as one of the top band programs in the Western District of North Carolina.

Mr. Lanning has served in many District and State Band offices throughout his career. He has served as District Chairman in both the Western District of the NC Bandmasters Association and the Northwest District of the NC Bandmasters Association. He has served on the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Bandmasters Association on two different occasions. Other professional affiliations include Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Phi Beta Mu Professional Band Fraternity, NAFME, and NCMEA. He was elected into membership of the prestigious American School Band Directors Association in 1992. Mr. Lanning has presented several clarinet clinics throughout the years, including clinics with Dr. David Kirby at the 2007 and 2008 NCMEA Conferences. Mr. Lanning is very active as an adjudicator and clinician, having judged bands and directed honors ensembles in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.  He is also very active as a clarinet clinician and band consultant.

Mr. Lanning is one of a handful of band directors in North Carolina to have ever won the prestigious Award of Excellence in two different districts (Western District in 1987, and Northwest District in 2010) and to have served as a District Chairman in two different districts during his career. He was selected as the Mars Hill College Band Alumni of the year in 1997. His peers also voted him as the 2010 Band Director of the Year for Forsyth County.

Mr. Lanning resides in Advance, NC with his lovely wife Cindy and two beautiful children, Caleb (18) a Freshmen Music Major at UNC-G, and Kaylee (15) a Sophomore flute player at Davie High School.