About John
- Leads a team of 11 staff in the RNCM’s Student Health and Wellbeing Hub.
- Teaches undergraduate and masters modules.
- Supervises research projects from undergraduate to post-doctoral level (UKCGE Recognised Research Supervisor)
- Undertakes and leads collaborative and individual research projects.
- Leads the RNCM’s Doctoral Pathway in Music Education.
- Member of RNCM’s Research and Knowledge Exchange Committee; Research Degrees Committee; Research Ethics Committee (Deputy Chair); REF Advisory Group.
- Board member of Greater Manchester Universities’ Student Mental Health Service.
- Represents the RNCM at: Healthy Conservatoires; University of Manchester Chaplaincy Network; Higher Education Mental Health Implementation Taskforce.
Having trained as a composer and a music therapist, Professor John Habron-James has gradually moved into transdisciplinary research at the intersection of music education and music therapy. From 2009 to 2016, he was Senior Lecturer in Music at Coventry University and in 2017 joined the RNCM as its first Head of Music Education. In 2021, he became the College’s Head of Music, Health and Wellbeing. Along with a group of colleagues, John founded the International Conference of Dalcroze Studies (ICDS) in 2013 and chaired its Scientific Committee until 2023. He is currently Extraordinary Researcher in the MASARA (Musical Arts in South Africa: Resources and Applications) research entity at North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa (2018-2025).
Research
Current and Future Research
John’s research focuses on the relationships between music and movement, and how – as a combined resource – these can help people of all ages and abilities to learn, feel better and flourish. In particular, he investigates the ways participants have engaged with and developed Dalcroze practice historically and how it is applied today.
A major recent project (2015-2020) investigated spiritual experiences in Dalcroze education and led to a series of five journal articles, co-authored with Professor Liesl van der Merwe, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
In June 2025, Boydell & Brewer published Navigating Landscapes of Dalcroze Practice: Histories of Music and Movement, a landmark study in the field of Dalcroze studies, co-edited by John along with Professor Emerita Selma Landen Odom (York University, Toronto) and Dr Johanna Laakkonen (Theatre Museum, Helsinki).
John is currently preparing a short-form book manuscript with cellist, teacher and dancer Marlies Muijzers. The study is a collaborative autoethnography about her experiences of chronic pain and disability within the contexts of Dalcroze teacher training and contemporary dance.
Research Areas
- Music for health, including music therapy
- Music education (history, theory, practice, philosophy)
- Music and movement / embodiment / somatics
- Dalcroze Eurhythmics
External Research Roles
- Extraordinary Professor, North West University (2025 – 2028)
- Extraordinary Researcher, MASARA (Musical Arts in South Africa: Resources and Applications), North West University (2022 – 2025)
- Extraordinary Associate Professor, MASARA (Musical Arts in South Africa: Resources and Applications), North West University (2018 – 2022)
- Knowledge Exchange Fellow, Nordoff & Robbins Scotland (2017 – 2018)
- Senior Research Fellow, MASARA (Musical Arts in South Africa: Resources and Applications), North West University (2014 – 2018)
- Senior Lecturer in Music, Coventry University (2009 – 2016)
- Research Associate, C-DaRE (Centre for Dance Research), Coventry University (2009 – 2016)
- Visiting lecturer, Bath Spa University (2008 – 2009)
- Early Career Teaching Fellow in Music, University of Southampton (2007 – 2009)
- Lecturer, University of Southampton (2006 – 2007)
Funded Research Projects
John’s research has been funded by several bodies, including the RNCM, Manchester Camerata, the Music Therapy Charity, the Higher Education Academy, the Society for Education and Music Psychology Research (SEMPRE), the Wellcome Trust, Coventry University, the Institut Jaques-Dalcroze, Dalcroze UK, the International Federation of Eurhythmics Teachers (FIER), the Association des Amis de Jaques-Dalcroze (AAJD), Fondation Émile Jaques-Dalcroze (FEJD) and Gladstone’s Library.
Teaching
Undergraduate Teaching
- Music in Context 2 (Music, Health and Wellbeing)
- What is Music Pedagogy?
- Music Education Pathway Elective
- Music for Health
Postgraduate Teaching
- Research Methods in Music Education
- Dalcroze in Context
- Masters research projects (major / minor dissertation)
Research Supervision
Current supervision of PhDs:
- David Bullock
- Ellen Casey
- Eleanor Guenault
- Jo Sear
- Rosalind Ridout
- Naomi Kayayan
- Frankie Stevens
- Greta N. Gasser
- Toni McGee
- Kevin John Samuel
Research Outputs
Written Outputs
Lines and influences from early Dalcroze practice to body awareness, dance and therapy
Habron-James, J., Steffen-Wittek, M. & Weise, D., 1 Apr 2026, (Submitted) Routledge Companion to Dance and Somatic Practices. RoutledgeThe Dalcroze Classics 40 years on: Reflecting on practice and collaboration
Habron-James, J., Odom, S. & Nash, S., 2026, In: Le Rythme. 2026, p. 21-33The Sound of My Ability: A Music Teacher’s Dance with Chronic Pain, Acceptance and Inclusion
Habron-James, J. & Muijzers, M., 2026, (In preparation)Training in popular music voice pedagogy: A survey of UK singing teachers
Sear, J. & Habron-James, J., 2026, (Submitted) In: British Journal of Music Education.Walking a Fine Line: The Role of Activism in the Lives of Female Brass Players
Guenault, E., Habron-James, J. & Ginsborg, J., 2026, In: Frontiers in Communication.A Brass-Playing Identity: How Do Gendered Attitudes and Practices Influence Twenty-first Century Brass Players?
Guenault, E., Ginsborg, J. & Habron-James, J., 2025, In: Journal of World Popular Music. 12, 1, p. 120-149Exploring Characteristics of Primary Qualitative Dalcroze Research: Building Bridges between Past Trends and Future Directions
Habron-James, J. & Van der Merwe, L., Sept 2025, (Submitted) In: Music Education Research.Health and Wellbeing in Contexts of Dalcroze Practice: Education, Therapy, and Medicine
Habron-James, J. & Odom, S., 10 Jun 2025, Navigating Landscapes of Dalcroze Practice: Histories of Music and Movement. Boydell Brewer, p. 231-245Health Promotion in Tertiary Music Institutions: A Position Paper
Matei, R. & Habron-James, J., 2025, (Submitted) In: Arts Education Policy Review. p. 1-26Navigating Landscapes of Dalcroze Practice: Histories of Music and Movement
Habron-James, J., Odom, S. & Laakkonen, J., 2025, Boydell Brewer. 284 p.Professional Activity
Public Presentations and Performance
Lines and influences from Dalcroze practice to body awareness, dance and therapy
Habron-James, J. (Speaker / presenter), Weise, D. (Speaker / presenter) & Steffen-Wittek, M. (Speaker / presenter)
The First Congress of Rhythm (1926): Perspectives, explorations, questions
Habron-James, J. (Speaker / presenter), Habron-James, B. (Speaker / presenter) & Odom, S. (Speaker / presenter)
Recent developments in Dalcroze studies: Perspectives from historical and qualitative research
Habron-James, J. (Speaker / presenter)
What does qualitative research offer to Rhythmics practitioners? What do Rhythmics practitioners bring to qualitative research?
Habron-James, J. (Speaker / presenter)
Integration through music, movement and “the idea”: Valerie Cooper, Dalcroze Eurhythmics and Individual Psychology
Habron-James, J. (Speaker / presenter)
Research as inspiration for Dalcroze teachers
Habron-James, J. (Speaker / presenter)
Keynote address: A vision of the future of Dalcroze practice
Habron-James, J. (Speaker / presenter)
The Thinking Voice (Vocal Health Education podcast)
Habron-James, J. (Speaker / presenter)
Sustaining a future through understanding the past: Oral history and archiving as acts of care
Habron-James, J. (Speaker / presenter)
Using the PERMA model of well-being to understand participants’ experiences of Dalcroze Eurhythmics
Habron-James, J. (Speaker / presenter)