James Douthit, DMA

Currently, Professor of Piano, Dr. James Douthit, began his tenure as the Mariam Cannon Hayes School of Music dean in July 2017. Under his leadership, the endowment for Cannon Music Camp and the Hayes School of Music has grown from $8 million to over $20 million. The graduate program has developed a new curriculum to support the Master's in Performance, highlighting skills necessary for musicians to establish successful performance careers in the 21st century. At the undergraduate level, the school opened a concentration in jazz studies in fall 2025.

Before his appointment at App State, he was the associate vice president for academic affairs at Nazareth University in Rochester, New York, and the former chair of the Department of Music. He developed a program, the “Center for Life’s Work,” a career development initiative that linked liberal arts degree programs and career exploration for all students. 

In October 2023, Douthit was among 40 pianists inducted into the Steinway Piano Teachers Hall of Fame. His extensive performance experience in the United States, Austria, Poland, China, and Great Britain is complemented by his strong academic foundation. Douthit holds a doctoral degree in piano performance from the prestigious Eastman School of Music, a master's degree from Northwestern University, and a Bachelor of Music from Mars Hill University.

Areas of expertise

• The piano and society
• 19th-century piano teachers and the students who made them famous
• Theodor Leschetizky: piano compositions from one of history's most outstanding piano teachers
• Music and careers in the 21st century
• Higher education administration in the arts