Jim has more than four decades of teaching experience in international music education. Originally from the Chicagoland area in the United States, he began his career as a high school band director. He moved to the Netherlands and worked at the American School of The Hague, where he served as Arts Director and taught IBDP music, instrumental music, and music technology.
Jim served as the first board president of The Association for Music in International Schools (AMIS). He has also served as the chair of the music committee for the European Council of International Schools (ECIS). He currently directs Global Music Concepts, an organization dedicated to the advancement of international understanding through music.
He is an internationally recognized consultant in the field of music and art education and has presented clinics and workshops worldwide. He’s worked for the International Baccalaureate Organization as a workshop leader, examiner, and music consultant. He served on the Summer Faculty of the Project Zero (PZ) Summer Institute and developed resources for including PZ concepts into music practice.
Jim is co-author of the IB DP Music resource site published by InThinking, where international concepts of global music education are applied to performance practice. He has also guest-conducted throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. Furthermore, he is a freelance trombonist and has performed with several Dutch jazz ensembles.
He has a Master’s degree in Music Education from Vandercook College of Music in Chicago, Illinois, USA, a Master’s degree in teaching pedagogy from the Utrecht Music Conservatory in the Netherlands, and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, USA.