James Maiden

James Maiden is Campus Dean at BIMM Music Institute Birmingham. Starting as a self-taught guitarist James soon learnt about the power of inspirational music education, taking lessons in classical guitar from his school music teacher and graduating from Birmingham Conservatoire with a degree specialising in Jazz and a masters degree in World music.

He has had a rich and varied career as a performer and composer with album releases as a formative member of Future Ex-Wife, as guitarist with Tenebrous Liar and as a co-writer with Black Spiders as well as receiving Radio 1 airplay for Maida Vale sessions and garnering critical acclaim in Kerrang and Classic Rock magazine.

He has toured widely, performing on stage with artists such as Ed Harcourt and Can’s Damo Suzuki and on pop tours with Jason Donovan and Edwin Starr.  Performances have ranged from big band jazz and ‘classical’ world premieres to arena tours supporting artists such as Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Josh T Pearson and Mark Lanegan as well as major festivals including South by Southwest in Austin, Texas and the Reading and Leeds weekend.

His main academic interests lie in ethnomusicology, the history and context of pop and rock and teaching and learning practice which is informed by his 15 years of teaching and management experience in both Further and Higher Education.

James continues to perform, write and record with a range of artists.