Editor’s Note: As arts educators we often wonder about the long term impact of our teaching. When they have left us, do our students grow into or out of their artistry and creativity? MAEIA is pleased to partner and work with individuals who fully embrace their creativity and who actively engage in artistic living. Watch for profiles of these interesting people in our often recurring blog series: Living an Artistic Life.
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This profile captures the artistic life of John Churchville. In addition to John Churchville’s 17 years in K-12 music classrooms, he is a Grammy award winning tabla player living in Ann Arbor and teaching at Pattengill Elementary. John got his start in music in Marquette then moved west to attend the esteemed California Institute of the Arts where he earned a degree in World Music Performance. He has since earned his master’s in music education from the University of Michigan.
John has developed a nationally recognized and award winning elementary music program that focuses on student ownership, creativity, and technology integration. He has been a MAEIA blog contributor with writing that centers on these topics. John serves as the MACC Regional Lead for Region 9 of the Michigan Regional Arts Education Networks coordinated by MAEIA, the Michigan Arts and Culture Council, and local arts educators and ambassadors. John has forged a unique path in both the music scene and in music education.
How would you define your current artistry?
My art is centered around the creation of music. Whether it is creating songs with 1st graders, or engineering and producing an album with Grammy award winning veterans, I love to make music with awesome people. I love the process of creating, crafting, recording, and ultimately performing music that I create in collaboration with others.
What does it mean to you to live an artistic life?
To live an artistic life for me is to always be creating. The process of creation requires an open mind, the willingness to take risks, moving forward with incomplete information, being candid and honest about the things I love, and having the strength to keep working until the job is done. Though my specialty is music, the benefits of seeing the world through an artistic lens touches every aspect of my life. From gardening, to cooking, to being a good dad and husband; everything I do is connected to seeing the world as a creative artist.
Do you feel your artistry reaches out to other people? If so, how?
Absolutely! First of all, I give all of my artistic secrets away to anyone who wants to listen. I practice the creative process with people of all ages, which leads to not only great music, but experiences and connections that carry forward, both with myself and the people I work with. When I think about the network of people I have created with, it is too many to count. Let alone the consumers who simply listen and enjoy the fruits of my labor. For me, the artistry is in the process of creation, the resulting art is up for interpretation and scrutiny, but the real art is in how it got done in the first place.
What role did arts education play in your life?
In my K-12 schooling days, music and art classes felt introductory and ‘for the masses’. I had trouble connecting the music I wanted to create with the offerings in school, which lead me to drop out of music in the 7th grade. I was much more influenced by music education that happened outside of school, through watching live music, listening to albums, playing and recording with friends, and taking private lessons on drums, guitar, piano, bass, and whatever else interested me. Luckily, I had parents that supported and encouraged me to pursue music on my own in this way.
What is your connection to MAEIA?
I first learned about MAEIA at the Michigan Music Conference and I was intrigued. When I became an elementary music teacher I was fascinated with how schools viewed and valued the arts. MAEIA seemed like a place to come that gave me and my administrators the tools to assess and understand the role of arts in the schools. I was proactive in pushing my administrators to look at the value of arts in school and MAEIA gave my arguments clout and a certain gravitas that I, on my own, could not bring.
How do you feel MAEIA is contributing to the artistic growth of students?
MAEIA is raising awareness of arts education in a very comprehensive and healthy way. It is still up to teachers and administrators to learn from and implement the tools for artistic growth. For teachers and administrators who want to make their programs better and more effective, MAEIA provides the tools to effectively assess and evaluate how they are doing. When teachers and administrators are on board, utilize the tools, and open up discussion, the primary beneficiaries are the students.
Will you share a story of an important moment in your artistic life?
When I was told in 7th grade that I was not allowed to play the drum set that was collecting dust in the corner of the band room, I did not see why I should continue playing music that definitely did not excite me, so I dropped out. The following year, a brand new teacher took over the band program and, even though I was no longer enrolled in the class, she invited me to come sit-in and play the drum set on a few songs. She even allowed me to play in the concert on the drum set. That simple act showed me that a teacher can make all the difference in how music education can be practiced. It was that simple gesture of allowing me to break the rules and norms that motivated me not just in music, but also in becoming a music teacher. I now spend much of my time helping students to explore and pursue the avenues in music that they enjoy and thrive in. That has helped me as a musician as well. It reminds me to constantly explore and push myself outside of the box of rules and norms and question the status quo. That is when I feel successful.
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To hear some of John’s recordings and performances, follow this link.
To learn more about John’s work in the classroom and to hear original student compositions, check out these blog posts.
- Creative Days: Teaching Creativity through Producing Original Music
- Sharing Days: Assessing Creativity through Producing Original Music
- The Creative Endgame: Centering the Creative Process with Authentic Assessment
Photos courtesy of John Churchville.
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