Member - John Churchley

Assistant Superintendent - Human Resources

School District #73 (Kamloops/Thompson);

Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada

My career path has been like a series of different dances, but it has allowed me to combine my passion for the arts and my inclination towards leadership.

I am a teacher – I began my career teaching elementary and high school music and mathematics. Seeing the expression on a child’s face at the moment of cognition never ceases to generate an aesthetic response in me. For this, I shall forever be a teacher.

I am a conductor – Conducting for me is literally a dance leading sound. I have conducted concert bands and jazz bands, and on a few special occasions the warm buoyancy of a string orchestra. However, the bulk of my experience and my passion is with choirs – school choirs, church choirs, and community choirs.

I am an artist – in the broad sense of the word. I sing, I play the trumpet, and as you can see from my photo, I play the ukelele. I also like to paint, draw, take photographs, and I have been the sadly outnumbered male participant in an adult contemporary dance class.

I am an arts consultant – I have worked as a school district Fine Arts Coordinator. In this role , I organized music festivals, art exhibitions and produced other arts events. I also presented workshops in the pedagogy and curriculum of the fine arts (art, music, drama, and dance). This work in the arts lead me naturally into workshops on team-building, staff development, and risk-taking.

I am an educational leader – I have been the vice principal of rural and urban secondary schools. This role had its own dances: between manager and instructional leader; and among the complex relationships of teachers, students, and parents.

I am an arts educational leader – I was the founding Principal of Beattie School of the Arts - a K-12 public school in Kamloops, British Columbia. This role was the extension of all of the roles/dances that I had undertaken to that point.

I am an administrator - I am now  the Assistant Superintendent - Human Resources of my school district. My dance continues with contract negotiations, grievances, and the recruiting/hiring/firing process.

I am an academic - I have an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Nottingham in England. My research interests include the nature of the aesthetic experience, strategic aesthetics as a means to organizational development (especially school improvement), and performing arts leaders as archetypal leaders (especially the conductor). These interests have lead me to AACORN. I hope to share in discussions with the group about my research, my passions, and our various dances.

email: jchurchley@aacorn.net or jchurchley@sd73.bc.ca

Publications & Papers:

“iReflection: Reflection as an MP3 Player” (2007) Leadership Compass The Banff Centre: Banff , Alberta .

"Process and/or Product: the philosophy and practice of aesthetic education in a fine arts school" (2005, July) paper presented at the Third International Conference on Imagination and Education, Vancouver, B.C.

"Teacher Professional Development: A Collaborative Model" (2005) Snapshots: The Specialist Schools Trust Journal of Innovation in Education 1 (4), 23-25.

“The Maestro Executive” (2004) Leadership Compass The Banff Centre: Banff , Alberta.

“The Teacher Career Cycle Game and its applications for staff development” (2002, November) paper presented at a doctoral seminar, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore.

“The Teacher Career Cycle Game.” (2001) self-published game, Kamloops, BC.

“Everybody’s Free to Wear Hearing Protection.” (2000) B.C. Music Educator 43(1), 36-37.

“Arts Program Evaluation: advocacy from within.” (1999) In Hanley, B. (Ed.) Leadership, Advocacy, Communication: A Vision for Arts Education in Canada (pp 155-168). Victoria: Canadian Music Educators’ Association.

“Music 8-10: Integrated Resource Package” (1995) With Anderson, A.; Bigland, J.; Griffith, S.. Victoria: British Columbia Ministry of Education.

“New Teacher Idea & Resource Book” (1991) editor. Vancouver: B.C. Music Educators’ Association.

“Practical Philosophical Issues: Towards a Philosophy of Performance.” (1991) B.C. Music Educator 33(2), 42-44.

“Practical Philosophical Issues: How’s Your Fundraising Philosophy?” (1990) B.C. Music Educator 33(1), 26-31.

“A Formal Axiomatic Philosophy of Music Education” (1988) unpublished Master’s thesis. University of Victoria.

“The Role of the Music Supervisor: A Review of the Literature.” (1987) Vancouver: B.C. Music Educators’ Association.