James Coffey

James Coffey, a pianist grounded in classical technique, directs his skills toward captivating the youngest segment of his listeners. Compositions from his catalog have aired on children's programs including the Kind Club on the Learning Channel, a series honored with a Hometown Video Festival Award by the Alliance for Community Video in Washington, DC. Tracks he wrote and performed for toy train videos from TM Books & Videos later appeared on the albums Come Ride With Me in 1997 and My Mama Was A Train in 2002. His set of animal-themed songs filled the 1999 release Animal Groove, which earned a Parent's Choice award along with Sesame Street Parents's "Editor's Choice" designation. Born in Chicago, Coffey spent his childhood in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he began playing piano at age eight and devoted many hours to an upright instrument in the family basement. After high school, exposure to varied musical styles led him to join a top-forty band in the 1960s and 1970s. While attending Indiana University he pursued musical form and analysis with Dr. James Ator, eighteenth century counterpoint with Darwin Lites, conducting with Fort Wayne Philharmonic conductor Ronald Ondrejka, and classical piano with Masson Robertson. He appeared as soloist with the university orchestra and performed in the premiere of an orchestral work by Canadian composer David Roe that later aired on PBS. After receiving his undergraduate degree in music in 1981 he worked as a session musician and taught elementary music for the Central Noble Community Schools in central Indiana. Dissatisfaction with the quality of available children's material prompted him to begin writing songs for young listeners. He departed from teaching in 1994 to focus on music and founded the children-oriented production company Blue Vision Music in 1995. Coffey received a Masters of Education from Indiana University in 1989.