Maxwell Steer (1946-) is a British composer. When he was 15, he ran away to Paris in hope that he could be taught by Olivier Messiaen. He returned and created large church choir in Kingston, Surrey, growing it over 4 years. In his 20s, he focused on writing for televised drama. He wrote music for media for 25 years before spending 3 years away from professional music working on a magazine called CataList. He returned to composition in 2001, and in 2003 started publishing writings on the philosophy sounding music. In addition to his music, he is noteable for his invention of the "colour muse" system designed to help dyslexic children read.