Doug Beach is a performer, composer, publisher, educator, arranger, and Grammy Award winner. At Elmhurst College, where he has taught since 1978, he serves as director of the acclaimed Elmhurst College Jazz Band and as director of jazz studies. Under his direction, the Jazz Band has performed in jazz festivals across the world and regularly appears with jazz greats such as Clark Terry, Diane Schuur, Nicholas Payton, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Pete Christlieb, Lee Konitz, Louis Bellson, and Bobby Shew. In 2003, Beach received the College's highest teaching honor, the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Beach is equally well known for his work as a publisher and composer. His company, Doug Beach Music, is one of the world's leading publishers of educational jazz music, and he has won 14 awards for composition from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP). In 1996, the Count Basie Orchestra and New York Voices recorded his arrangement of "Cottontail" on a CD that went on to win the Grammy Award for best large jazz ensemble.

Beach is also a highly sought-after clinician and adjudicator. He has served as a conductor, guest artist, or judge throughout the United States and in Canada, Australia, and Europe, and he frequently conducts All-State ensembles. Twice, he has served as artist-in-residence for the Illinois Arts Council.