John Ella Fowler is a native Houstonian, product of the Houston Independent school District, where she graduated with honors from Phillis Wheatley Senior High School. Following high school, she obtained the degrees of Bachelor of Music in Piano-Music Education from Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, MD.; Master of Arts in Music Education from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio; and Master of Education in Administration from Houston Christian University, in Houston, TX. She is certified in All-Level Music, Mid-Management and Broadcasting; and has performed as a piano soloist, taught piano, and accompanied instrumentalists and vocalists in solo and ensemble settings.
Currently, she is an Adjunct Instructor in the Music Department of Texas Southern University in Houston, TX. She has held positions at the instructor level in the Peabody Conservatory Prep in Baltimore, MD and Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, O.; and at the Assistant Professor level in Alcorn State University in Lorman, MS and Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA. Her experience as an educator also includes elementary level and secondary level teaching positions in the Baltimore Public School system and Houston ISD, and as a school district director of curriculum and program development.
She has been a committee member and panel judge for the Houston Symphony Outreach Committee; Houston Grand Opera Education Committee; Texas Commission on the Arts Grant Review Panel; Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Art Contest; and the Houston Fire Fighters’ Poster Contest. Additionally, she has held the offices of Vice President for the Texas Black Music Educators, Board President for The Rhodes Charter School, and membership on the advisory board for Young Audiences of Houston.
The awards she has received in recognition of her achievements are the Jacob L. and Sophia Meyer Farb School Bell Award from the Houston Symphony; Distinguished Teacher Fellowship from the Houston Independent School District; Performance Award and Award of Merit from the Texas Black Music Educators Association; and the Trailblazer Award from the National Association for the Study and Performance of African American Music. Professional memberships included the Texas Music Educators’ Association (TMEA); Texas Black Music Educators’ Association (TBMEA); and the National Association for the Study and Performance of African American Music (NASPAAM).
As well as teaching, exploring new repertoire, and performing, she enjoys traveling, reading, and baking.