an Shields began studying drums & classical percussion in his hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana when he was six years old, and began playing professionally when he was thirteen.

In 1982, he won a scholarship for Outstanding Audition at the School of Music at Indiana University, where he went on to study his craft with legendary former NBC Symphony percussionist George Gaber, Associate Prof. Stuart Marrs, and jazz greats Louis Bellson and Ed Thigpen. 

As a professional, Mr. Shields has built a reputation for excellence and versatility, embracing a wide variety of musical genres—from symphonic orchestral and chamber music, to Broadway, jazz & big-band, funk, fusion, rock, avant-garde music, rudimental drumming, world beat, and traditional indigenous music—not to mention a circus.

After having lived and worked in Southern California from 1988 to 1998, Mr. Shields now resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, pianist and choral conductor Xiomara Di Maio.