John Johnston (he/him/his)

Writer and Editor

A native of Pottsville, PA, John Johnston began serving as the Acting Director of Athletic Bands at Albion College in 2021, currently teaching the marching band, basketball band, Chamber Winds, and Symphonic Wind Ensemble. Prior to his time in Albion, John obtained his M.M. in Wind Conducting at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, where he studied with Andrew Yozviak, M. Gregory Martin, Adam Gumble, and Henry Grabb.

John taught in the Pampa ISD (Pampa, Texas) as an associate band director, team-teaching Grade 6–12 Band. The team at Pampa together served approximately 400 music students a day, and John in particular served as director of jazz bands, worked with a number of the concert ensembles, and was heavily involved with coaching students participating in Texas Solo & Ensemble competitions. Pampa ISD consistently was awarded Division I and Sweepstakes awards across many of their bands.

Outside of the academic realm, John continues to pursue musical opportunities. He currently serves as artistic director of the Pennsylvania Chamber Winds, a chamber ensemble seeking to advocate for diverse composers and explore chamber opportunities for the public classroom in PA. John also served on the instructional staff of the Jersey Surf World Class Drum Corps from 2016 through 2021.

John received his B.S. in Music Education and B.A. in Oboe Performance from Lebanon Valley College (Annville, PA) in 2016, learning among teachers Dr. Christopher Heffner, Jill Hoffman, Thomas Strohman, and James Erdman.