Hayley Canterbury holds a Master of Music degree in bassoon performance from Florida State University, and graduated magna cum laude from Troy University, with a Bachelor in both Music Education and French. From 2008-2010, she was a doctoral candidate in Music Performance at Université de Montréal, (Montréal, QC). Her principal teachers are John Jinright, Jeffrey Keesecker, Scott Pool, and Michel Bettez.

She served as principal bassoonist for both the Troy University Symphony Band and Chamber Winds from 2004-2006, principal bassoonist for the Florida State University Symphonic Band in 2006, and was principal bassoonist for the 2005 National Intercollegiate Band, and the 2006 CBDNA Honor Band. During her studies at Université de Montréal, she had the honor of working with conductors such as Jean-François Rivest, Lorraine Vaillancourt, Louis Lavigueur, Jean-Eudes Vaillancourt, Alain Trudel, and Raffi Armenian.

She was the 2005 recipient of the John M. Long Achievement Award for outstanding musicians, and played as soloist for the Troy University Honors Recital in spring of 2004 and 2005. In 2009, she was internationally published in a festschrift by the International Double Reed Society.