James Edwards has been the orchestra director at Westlake High School in the Eanes Independent School District (ISD) in Austin, Texas since the 1998–99 school year. Prior to Westlake High School, he was the Orchestra Director at A.S. Johnston High School in Austin ISD for five years and was the Orchestra and Band Director at Amarillo High School in Amarillo ISD for seven years. Mr. Edwards was a founding co-conductor of the Austin Youth Sinfonietta Orchestra from 1994–1996. He is currently co-conductor of the Austin Youth Symphony Orchestra, a position he previously held from 1998–2003. In addition, he has been a guest conductor for the Austin Civic Orchestra and has taught for the music departments of Texas State University in San Marcos and Amarillo College.

Mr. Edwards has served as Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) State Orchestra Chair and Vice-President and has served as TMEA Region Chairman in both Amarillo and Austin. He has also held the offices of Texas Music Adjudicators Association Orchestra Vice-President and President. In 1991, Mr. Edwards was awarded the Texas Excellence Award for Outstanding High School Teachers. In 2005, he was included in "Who’s Who Among American High School Teachers" and was named the first "Distinguished Music Educator" by Texas Tech University.

Mr. Edwards holds the Bachelor of Music, the Bachelor of Music Education, and the Master of Music degrees from Texas Tech University and has pursued additional musical studies at Arizona State University. In 2002, the Westlake Orchestra was selected as the TMEA Honor Full Orchestra Runner-up, and in 2003 was selected as the TMEA Honor Full Orchestra. In 2008, the Westlake Symphony Orchestra performed at the International Midwest Clinic in Chicago, Illinois.