Nomination Link for 2026-2027 MAJE Lifetime Achievement Award
Congratulations to our 2025-2026 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner
John J. Kearns
John J. Kearns’ thirty-nine-year career with the Stoughton Public Schools began in 1977, a tenure built upon a diverse educational foundation. He holds a Bachelor of Music from Berklee College of Music and an MBA from Bryant University, and he completed post-graduate studies in Educational Leadership at Bridgewater State University. While these credentials prepared him for the administrative demands of his eventual role as K–12 Director of Fine Arts, John attributes his initial persistence in music to his own public school teachers—Messrs. Johnson, LeGrow, Elkins, and Lipman—who successfully convinced him that staying in the band was a worthwhile endeavor.
A professional trombonist and bassist, John balanced his performing life with a deep commitment to music education. He founded the Stoughton All-Schools Elementary Jazz Band in 1979 and later transitioned the program to O’Donnell Middle School. There, he grew the OMS instrumental program to over 400 students, including three jazz ensembles that became perennial Gold Medal recipients.
His leadership extended to the Massachusetts Association for Jazz Education (MAJE), where he served as the Southeast District Junior and Senior Festival Chairman and Host. For over twenty years, he hosted the Junior and Senior District Festivals at Stoughton High School. John found his work with the MAJE to be a rewarding cornerstone of his professional life as he witnessed the steady growth of jazz participation across the region.
John is grateful to the MAJE for this honor and to the students, parents, and colleagues who made his decades in Stoughton so fulfilling. He reserves his greatest thanks for his wife, Laurie, whose support and patience regarding his long hours at school allowed him to pursue this vocation. Looking back, it appears his teachers were correct: staying in the band was indeed the right decision. Go Black Knights!
A professional trombonist and bassist, John balanced his performing life with a deep commitment to music education. He founded the Stoughton All-Schools Elementary Jazz Band in 1979 and later transitioned the program to O’Donnell Middle School. There, he grew the OMS instrumental program to over 400 students, including three jazz ensembles that became perennial Gold Medal recipients.
His leadership extended to the Massachusetts Association for Jazz Education (MAJE), where he served as the Southeast District Junior and Senior Festival Chairman and Host. For over twenty years, he hosted the Junior and Senior District Festivals at Stoughton High School. John found his work with the MAJE to be a rewarding cornerstone of his professional life as he witnessed the steady growth of jazz participation across the region.
John is grateful to the MAJE for this honor and to the students, parents, and colleagues who made his decades in Stoughton so fulfilling. He reserves his greatest thanks for his wife, Laurie, whose support and patience regarding his long hours at school allowed him to pursue this vocation. Looking back, it appears his teachers were correct: staying in the band was indeed the right decision. Go Black Knights!
MAJE Lifetime Achievement Award Past Recipients
2025-2026 Everett Longstreth
2023-2024 Vincent Macrina
2022-2023 Paul Pitts
2021-2022 Gerald Dolan
2020-2021 Thomas Lizotte
2019-2020 Brent Ferguson
2018-2019 George Murphy
2017-2018 Rob Rose
2016-2017 Jeff Leonard
2015-2016 Peter Tileston
2014-2015 David Jost
2013-2014 Kenny Hadley
2012-2013 Tom Everett
2011-2012 Pat Stout
2010-2011 Raymond Novack
2009-2010 Stanley Ellis
2008-2009 Jeffrey Holmes
2007-2008 Ron Christianson
2006-2007 Greg Hopkins
2005-2006 Rich Falco
2004-2005 David Sporny
2003-2004 Tom Tisdell
2002-2003 Paul Alberta
2001-2002 Joseph Viola
2000-2001 Dennis Wrenn and Stephen Massey
1999-2000 John LaPorta
1998-1999 Frank Patterson
1997-1998 Rick Stepton
1996-1997 Lawrence Berk
1995-1996 Don Bastarache
1994-1995 Herb Pomeroy
2023-2024 Vincent Macrina
2022-2023 Paul Pitts
2021-2022 Gerald Dolan
2020-2021 Thomas Lizotte
2019-2020 Brent Ferguson
2018-2019 George Murphy
2017-2018 Rob Rose
2016-2017 Jeff Leonard
2015-2016 Peter Tileston
2014-2015 David Jost
2013-2014 Kenny Hadley
2012-2013 Tom Everett
2011-2012 Pat Stout
2010-2011 Raymond Novack
2009-2010 Stanley Ellis
2008-2009 Jeffrey Holmes
2007-2008 Ron Christianson
2006-2007 Greg Hopkins
2005-2006 Rich Falco
2004-2005 David Sporny
2003-2004 Tom Tisdell
2002-2003 Paul Alberta
2001-2002 Joseph Viola
2000-2001 Dennis Wrenn and Stephen Massey
1999-2000 John LaPorta
1998-1999 Frank Patterson
1997-1998 Rick Stepton
1996-1997 Lawrence Berk
1995-1996 Don Bastarache
1994-1995 Herb Pomeroy