James Cortright has been teaching percussion, guitar, and piano since 2010. From elementary age to college level, from total beginners to advanced musicians, from ensembles of all sizes to private lessons, his top goal as a professional has always been to provide the best possible guidance and instruction to all of his students.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music degree from Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, MI, and a two-year certificate in Audio Technology from Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City, MI. Since 2022 he has been part of the music faculty of Michigan Technological University in Houghton, MI, teaching percussion lessons in a mostly remote hybrid format. Before that, he taught music and ran audio at Reeths-Puffer High School in Michigan and Carmel High School in Indiana, with both marching bands winning state championships, and Carmel winning a national championship. He also performed with Drum Corps International and Winter Guard International at the world class level, as a member of the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps in DCI for three years including a top five final score for the percussion section in his last season, and with Rhythm X Percussion in WGI for two years including a world championship for the ensemble. After aging out of both activities, he taught with Music City Drum Corps, NorthCoast Academy Percussion, and Genesis Percussion.

After beginning his education from a young age with a foundation in classical music, he went on to study a broad range of subjects and styles in music and technology, including related theory, history, language, and culture. At different times throughout his studies he has focused on a range of styles such as jazz, folk, Latin, and art rock, along with subjects like composition, early childhood education, ethnomusicology, and songwriting, often while finding creative ways to integrate audio technology. Some teachers who have been instrumental in his education include Jeff Queen, Ryan Kilgore, Jake Harpster, Juliana Lockman, Bill Ryan, Matt Pivec, Lisa Feurzeig, and Jon Crabiel. With the attitude of a lifelong student, he continues to find new ways to broaden his knowledge and skills as a music teacher.

Outside of work, James enjoys getting outdoors and staying active, including biking, running, sailing, hiking, kayaking, and swimming, as well as spending time with his Australian Cattle Dog Nyla, and his wife Ashley, who works at the University of Miami. She is from South Florida originally, so they are both very happy to be living and working in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area, especially after living through many Michigan winters together in years prior.