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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.
Publications & Papers:
“iReflection:
Reflection as an MP3 Player” (2007) Leadership Compass The Banff
Centre: Banff , Alberta .
Book and article reviews (2005) in “Annotated
Bibliography”, Buswick, Ted; Seifter, Harvey (Ed.) Journal of
Business Strategy 26 (5)
"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.
“A Prototype Model of a Philosophy
of Music Supervision.” (1987) Canadian Music Educator 28(4),
29-34.
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