James Allen

James Allen is a K-5 Level 3 Orff-Certified Music Specialist with extensive experience in music education and performance. He was a featured presenter at the 2021 AOSA National Conference and returned as a presenter at the 2024 conference. In addition, he served as the elementary headliner at the 2023 NYSSMA Conference in Albany, where he led three workshops.
Currently, James provides professional development workshops for Orff chapters, school districts, universities, and state conferences. He has created a frame drum unit and presented a webinar for Musicplay.com, and has authored an article on frame drums for the online Orff publication Reverberations as well as an article on jazz in the classroom for the online publication, “Teaching With Orff.” In 2024, James taught an Elementary Methods course at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut.

James is also an active performer, regularly appearing as a percussionist in musical theater, jazz, bluegrass, and orchestral settings. He holds a BFA from SUNY Purchase, an MM in Performance from Yale University, and a teaching certificate from Central Connecticut State University.