James B. Morford

Adjunct Professor of Ethnomusicology

James B. Morford is a faculty member in the School of Music at the University of Puget Sound and the School of Music at the University of Washington. He currently serves as co-managing editor of the Analytical Approaches to World Music Journal and is co-chair of the Society for Ethnomusicology’s Special Interest Group for Music Analysis. A classically trained percussionist, Dr. Morford regularly performs West African and Afro-Diasporic music in the Seattle area. He co-founded the Guinea Arts Cooperative, working alongside expatriate artists and activists in the Puget Sound region to raise awareness and funding in response to the 2014-2016 outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa.

Dr. Morford holds a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology with a specialization in music and dance in the Republic of Guinea, West Africa and its diasporas. Additionally, he trained and holds degrees (BM and MM) in Music Education with certification in World Music Pedagogy, and taught in the Puyallup School District as a General Music Specialist. Dr. Morford’s publications include peer-reviewed work in the fields of ethnomusicology, music theory, community music, and music education, as well as original compositions for steelpan ensembles with Engine Room Publishing. His current scholarly research includes projects related to metric modeling and analysis, music and environmental pollution in the Mid-Ohio Valley, and ideologically-driven sound manipulation in news media reporting.