John Churchville is a GRAMMY award winning Tabla player and Two time GRAMMY Music Educator Award semi-finalist (top 25 in the U.S.A). He is one time winner and two time nominee of a Detroit Music Award. He is a husband and proud father of two based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A.
John got his start in music at a very early age on the shores of Lake Superior in the town of Marquette Michigan where he forged a love of performing, recording,and teaching music. From there he moved out to California to attend the esteemed California Institute of the Arts where he earned a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree in World Music Performance, which is where he began a decades long journey with the Indian tabla drums.
Moving to Ann Arbor in 2006, John forged a unique path in both the music scene and in music education. He started work at an elementary school with no music program and developed a nationally recognized and award winning program for Infants-9th Graders. John is recognized for his focus on student ownership, creativity, and technology integration. Eventually, he went on to earn his Masters in Music Education from the University of Michigan in. John currently teaches in the Ann Arbor Public School System as well as guest lectures for the University of Michigan.
John is also been involved in pushing music education forward as the chair of the New Directions Committee for the Michigan Music Education Association (MMEA) (2019-2026) and as the acting regional liaison for the MAEIA Arts Network.
John's is a founding member of Peter Madcat Ruth's C.A.R.Ma. Quartet. He has recorded, engineered and produced 20+ albums with various groups (Check out the MUSIC page). John is currently working as Music Education Consultant with the Bureau of Education and Research (BER)
