He also held appointments at Morningside College, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and the Royal Conservatory of Music.
His best-known orchestral work, Fantasy on a Hymn by Justin Morgan (1944), was recorded by Leopold Stokowski and Howard Hanson.
He matriculated at Oberlin College, where he studied composition under Normand Lockwood, receiving a B.M.
[1] After receiving his degree from Eastman, Canning taught music theory and composition at Morningside College (1936–1941) and Indiana University of Pennsylvania (1945–1946).
[1] Canning belonged to the American Composers Alliance, The Hymn Society of America, and Pi Kappa Lambda, and was an honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
Written in 1944 in Canning's home town of Brookville, Pennsylvania, Fantasy on a Hymn Tune was premiered by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra in 1946 as part of a program of new American music.