Congratulations to Professor James Clemens-Seely, winner of the 2024-2025 Teaching Award in the Part-Time category!聽聽
Praised for his approachability both in and outside the classroom, James has been Assistant Professor of Sound Recording since 2023, after his time as Senior Recording Engineer at Banff Centre. Some of his recent accolades include: Juno-winning album Early Italian Cello Concertos, Canadian Screen Awards for Best Music in a Documentary for A Bee鈥檚 Diary (2020) and Equus: Story of the Horse (2018), and an Emmy award for Hunt for the Oldest DNA (2024) in addition to Juno and Grammy nominations and credits on films.
James鈥� teaching style stands out for 鈥渉is ability to break down complex topics into clear, practical learning strategies, making challenging concepts easier to grasp,鈥� shares his student Aoqi Deng, clarifying subjects students have struggled with before taking his class. He demonstrates initiative on behalf of his students, ensuring his pedagogy is student-centred. As an active freelancer, James allows his teaching style to be influenced by his current projects, ensuring his content is directly relevant to the students鈥� careers.聽聽
In this In Conversation, James reflects on the values that shape his teaching, the interplay between professional practice and pedagogy, and the impact he hopes to have on his students' lives鈥攂oth in the studio and beyond.聽
If you want to learn more about James, revisit our first In Conversation with James from November 2023.聽
What excites you most about teaching your courses?聽聽
The subject matter is always a great mix of professionally and academically relevant, while also being flexible enough (in conjunction with our small class sizes) to really meet the needs and interests of each student with a lot of depth and specificity. Helping the students along their journey to wisdom is truly rewarding, and working with them helps make me a more complete professional and person.聽聽
How do your musical and professional experiences shape your teaching?聽聽
My work experience and the freelance projects I continue to have alongside teaching ensure that what I am teaching is directly relevant to the students and the careers they aspire to have after graduation. The fact that I work across a variety of genres and contexts helps to relate to students with different backgrounds and interests. For me (and many of my colleagues in the Schulich School of Music) being an active teacher and practitioner is a core part of who we are.聽聽
What are some guiding principles in your approach to teaching?聽聽
I strive to provide each student with as much compassion and support as possible, simultaneously creating an environment that enables them to be the best versions of themselves while meeting the highest expectations of quality and professionalism.聽聽
What do you hope your students take away鈥攎usically, professionally, or personally鈥攆rom your courses?聽聽
I hope my students see in me an example of complete commitment to excellence, coming from a place of caring and consideration. A sustainable career is built on being kind to those around us, while also working to be reliably excellent and efficient.聽聽
What does receiving a 2025 Teaching Award mean to you?聽聽
It means a tremendous amount - it is the best and most affirming feedback from students, colleagues, and the administration. Knowing that the work I am putting in is appreciated is so wonderful!聽
