James is Head of Music at St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School, Brisbane, President of the International Kodály Society, Director of the Summer School Music Program, and Director of the Cuskelly College of Music.

He completed undergraduate studies and a Diploma of Education at the University of Queensland. The Kodály Certificate from Holy Names College (California) was awarded in 1991 and the Master of Music Studies (The University of Queensland) in 1997. He gained the Doctor of Philosophy (The University of Queensland) in Music Education in 2007. He was Head of Music Education and the Aural Musicianship Program at the University of Queensland from 2000 – 2010, and during that time received two awards for Excellence in Teaching.

James has a very broad base in education, having taught in Kindergarten, pre-school, primary and secondary classrooms as well as in tertiary institutions.His passion for music, and his ability to enthuse and bring about effective learning in students across all ages or abilities, is internationally recognised. He is frequently asked as guest presenter and keynote speaker, and recently has taught at the Kodály Pedagogical Institute (Hungary), in the National Youth Choir of Scotland Summer Program and in the National KMEIA Conference.

James is committed to teacher training in music education, is considered a global leader in music education and directs internationally recognized programs. He runs a variety of accredited teacher training programs including the Summer School Music Program (Brisbane) and The Australian Kodály Certificate programs in Malaysia, Perth and New Zealand.A talented musician in his own right, James is also a highly regarded choral conductor and clinician. He is founding Director of the Queensland Kodály Choir and conductor of the women’s performing ensemble, Valency Ensemble. He is frequently asked to run choral workshops and lead choral festivals and workshops, and each year James convenes The Big Sing, a community choral festival held in Brisbane.

For an interview with James see: https://youtu.be/Zanw3WtM0Jg