Dr Ian James Axtell
Ian has been working in education since 1984. He began his teaching career in Coventry working in arts education, mainly teaching music and music technology. In 1989 Ian moved to Birmingham to become a Head of Music in a school near the city centre. In 1993 he moved to Hereford, becoming a Curriculum Area Leader for Arts and Physical Education and achieving Advanced Skills Teacher Status in 2002.
In 2004 he moved into Higher Education, working on the HE/ARTS Project to enhanced arts education for beginning teachers. In 2008 he became Subject Leader for Primary and Secondary Music Education, writing modules that promoted cross-curricular learning and creativity in education. This work was further developed in partnership with the British Council where he supported the development of music and creative arts education in Suzhou and Zhengzhou in China.
In 2017 he moved into master’s level education at BCU and became a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He was awarded a Doctorate in 2021 and led the successful revalidation of several Professional Master’s courses focusing on the accreditation of practitioner learning and leadership in education. His Doctorate employed autoethnography in practitioner research, which continues to underpin his current research. Ian continues to perform as a musician, focusing on his love of singing and playing the French Horn.