He has had a distinguished and varied career as a music teacher, administrator, composer, editor and critic. His determination to make folk music a living part of the experience of Canadian children led him to study and later implement the Kodaly principles of music education in Canada. He co-wrote several folk song manuscripts and his latest major publication, "Folk Songs North America Sings", is used throughout Canada and the United States. As a composer, he is best known for his compositions of chamber music and the set of songs entitled "The Irish Book".