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Martin James, Professor of Music Industries at Solent University, has joined a distinguished cohort recognised for teaching excellence, having today (30 August 2018) been made a National Teaching Fellow.

29th August 2018
TV, film, media production and technology

Martin James, Professor of Music Industries at Solent University, has joined a distinguished cohort recognised for teaching excellence, having today (30 August 2018) been made a National Teaching Fellow.

Awarded by Advance HE, The National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS) celebrates and recognises individuals who have made an outstanding impact on student outcomes and the teaching profession in higher education.

Alison Johns, Advance HE’s chief executive, says: “The award of a National Teaching Fellowship is an outstanding achievement and I know that the whole sector will join me in congratulating the 54 new NTFs as well as the CATE winners.”

“Advance HE is very proud to run these awards on behalf of the sector. A key part of our role in this programme is to work with both NTFs and CATE winners to show-case their work so that others can learn and benefit from their success.”

Martin is currently Postgraduate Research Coordinator for the Creative and Digital Industries Hub, and programme leader of BA (Hons) Popular Music Journalism.  His specialist areas include popular music history, genre studies and social media identity.

Speaking of being awarded the Fellowship, he says: “I am honoured to receive this award, which recognises the important work in real-world learning that we do here at Solent.”

Martin was awarded a BA (Hons) Communication Studies, before gaining an MA in Media and Cultural Studies from the University of Sunderland, where he also received a PhD.

Prior to becoming a lecturer, Martin was an internationally published music critic who worked on the editorial teams of some of the UK’s leading music magazines, and regularly contributed to major music and lifestyle publications, and daily newspapers. He has written several globally published and critically acclaimed books about music, including biographies of The Prodigy and Dave Grohl.

Since 2009, Martin has coordinated Solent University’s associations with some of the UK's finest independent festivals including Bestival, Blissfields, and Common People. Through these link-ups, students have been able to gain invaluable experience in the areas of music, media and production industries.

In 2009, Martin also organised the University’s first music industries conference, ‘Solent Music Industries Live Event’ (SMILE) where some of the biggest names in the world of music shared their knowledge with students. SMILEfest is now an annual student-organised event that includes gigs, club nights, employability challenges, masterclasses, and workshops.

In 2014, he co-edited the ‘Music Journalism Special Edition’ of the peer-reviewed International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM) journal. In 2015, Martin launched Dancing About Architecture - collaborative venture with music journalism scholars throughout the world.

Professor Julie Hall, Solent’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, says: “The award of National Teaching Fellowship is  well-deserved recognition, both for Professor James’ achievements and for the University’s strong emphasis on teaching excellence.”

Martin will officially receive his award at a ceremony in Edinburgh on 7 November 2018.