President
Dr Geoffrey Lowe is Senior Lecturer in Music Education in the School of Education, Edith Cowan University, in Perth, Western Australia. He teaches into both the undergraduate and postgraduate music education courses in addition to conducting various community ensembles. Dr Lowe’s research interests include motivation theories which embrace both school and community music making, pre-service teacher training and veteran teacher wellbeing. His research includes collaborations with colleagues across Australia, New Zealand and the USA, and in addition, he has written a number of award winning secondary music resource books. In recent years has become involved in teacher professional development in East Africa.
Deputy President
Dr Sally Bodkin-Allen is the Research Manager at the Southern Institute of Technology in Invercargill where she also teaches on the Bachelor of Contemporary Music degree. Sally is a founding member of the Outreach Singing Trust in Southland, and is also a published composer with her works being published on SOUNZ and performed at The Big Sing Finale and brass band provincial contests. Her research interests include singing confidence, early childhood music, and youth in brass bands. She has recently edited a book about music in Southland Aotearoa New Zealand, published in 2020.
Secretary
Dr Kay Hartwig is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education and Professional Studies at Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. She has experience lecturing in music and music education and teacher education at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. Kay is also the Director of Internationalisation for the school and through this position works with international students from application to graduation, promotes study abroad opportunities for domestic students, manages the international visiting scholar program and manages short courses for international cohorts of students and chairs the Internationalisation Committee. Her research interests include music education in the classroom, teacher education in the arts, preservice music teacher training, vocal health for music teachers, internationalisation and well-being for international students.
Treasurer
Emily Wilson is a lecturer in music education and PhD graduate at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education at the University of Melbourne. Her doctoral study investigates teacher practice and student engagement in classroom music. Emily has over 10 years experience as a school music educator having taught classroom and instrumental music at primary and secondary schools in Australia and the UK, including as Head of Department at the secondary schools in the UK. Her research interests include arts education pedagogy and pre-service music teacher education.
Immediate Past Conference Organiser
Dr Sally Bodkin-Allen is the Research Manager at the Southern Institute of Technology in Invercargill where she also teaches on the Bachelor of Contemporary Music degree. Sally is a founding member of the Outreach Singing Trust in Southland, and is also a published composer with her works being published on SOUNZ and performed at The Big Sing Finale and brass band provincial contests. Her research interests include singing confidence, early childhood music, and youth in brass bands. She has recently edited a book about music in Southland Aotearoa New Zealand, published in 2020.
Student Representatives
Katrina Rivera (Australian Rep) –
Katrina Rivera is a PhD candidate at the Medical School, Australian National University, in Canberra, Australia. Her thesis will interrogate disciplinary assumptions and examine the relationship between music performance anxiety and music education. Katrina holds a Bachelor of Music (Hons) in piano performance from the Australian National University, and a Master of Teaching in secondary music from the University of New England. Outside her studies, Katrina works in Canberra as a piano teacher and an accompanist.
Dr. Wenting Yang completed her PhD in music at the University of Canterbury in 2022. Her doctoral research is in community music education, particularly the potential development of musical skills through engaging in community music ensembles. In addition to being a New Zealand based researcher, Wenting is a classically trained accordionist and a secondary music teacher, a member of the New Zealand Accordion Association (NZAA), and the champion of the 2018 South Pacific International Accordion Solo Championship. Wenting provides private music tuition to people of all ages and has performed at various local events and functions since arriving in New Zealand.
Immediate Past President
Professor Jane Southcott –
Dr. Jane Southcott is an Associate Professor, Faculty of Education, Monash University, Australia. Jane researches the history of the music curriculum in Australia, America and Europe and she is also applies phenomenological and post-qualitative research approaches to community engagement with the arts, multicultural music education and cultural identity with a focus on lifelong education. Jane teaches in postgraduate programs and supervises many postgraduate research students. Dr Southcott is editor of the International Journal of Music Education, a member of the editorial boards of international and national refereed journals, and a Life Member of the Australian and New Zealand Association for Research in Music Education.
2023 Conference Convenor
Associate Professor Annie Mitchell –
Associate Professor Annie Mitchell teaches in Southern Cross University’s Contemporary Music Program, Lismore, Australia and is SCU’s School of Arts and Social Sciences Director of Higher Degrees Research Training. Annie lectures in contemporary music theory, musicianship, musicology, composition, arranging, education, piano, choir and ensemble. Her research investigates community music, contemporary music theory, jazz and third stream composition, pedagogy, adult education, edutourism, and musical careers on cruise ships. She composes in classical, third stream, jazz, big band, choral and contemporary styles. Annie performs professionally as a pianist/vocalist and is double bassist with the Clarence Valley Orchestra, Lismore Symphony Orchestra and the North Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2011 Annie received an SCU Vice-Chancellor’s Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning, and in 2012 an Australian University Teaching Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning.
Committee Members
Dr. Brad Merrick is a Senior Lecturer (Music and the Arts Education) at Melbourne Graduate School of Education, at the University of Melbourne. Brad completed his Ph.D. in Music Education at the University of New South Wales. He is a Past National President of the Australian Society for Music Education (ASME), immediate past Chair of the International Society for Music Education – (Music in Schools and Teacher Education) commission, and currently serves as a member of the ISME International Board. He is actively involved in undertaking research into teacher education, music technology, motivation, and advocacy.
Martin Emo (New Zealand Rep) –
New Zealand based Martin Emo is an education researcher, music technology trainer, multi-instrumentalist, teacher and PHD candidate. His current studies at Victoria University of Wellington are investigating how digital technologies are used in the high school music classroom. He is a classically trained musician, DJ and creates music as a Digital Musician. He is a member of the board of Music Education New Zealand Aotearoa and holds a number of mentor and facilitator positions including with the NZ Ministry of Education, NZ Qualifications Authority, EDnet Australasia, Massey University, Victoria University of Wellington, Midnight Music and globally through his own website www.martinthomasemo.com. Martin has also provided education consultancy to Melodics and Serato, and is currently contracted to Ableton.
Dr. Rohan Nethsinghe works as Assistant Professor in Creative Arts Education at the Faculty of Education, University of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. As a Phenomenologist Rohan publishes in scholarly journals and presents his research nationally and internationally in the areas of music education, arts education, higher education and multicultural music education. His research in multicultural music has contributed to the enhancement of the scholarship of teaching and learning in teacher education.
Associate Professor David Lines –
David Lines, PhD (Education) is Associate Professor of Music Education at the University of Auckland. His research is in the area of educational philosophy and the arts, particularly music and music education. He has also undertaken qualitative inquiries in early childhood arts education, improvisation and education, creativity, music technology, community music and cultural diversity. David plays piano in an instrumental jazz ensemble and has contributed to five recorded albums and numerous performances. His music teaching career has spanned primary, secondary and tertiary levels and has composed several full scale school musicals. David supervises music education students at PhD, Masters and Honours levels and also coordinates and teaches in the undergraduate music education programme at university.
Dr Graham McPhail is a senior lecturer in the School of Curriculum and Pedagogy, in the Faculty of Education and Social Work, at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. He took up this position in 2015 after twenty years of work in the secondary education sector. His research is centred on the role of knowledge in the curriculum, in particular within C21 schooling and music education contexts. He is the lead editor for New Zealand’s first volume on secondary school music education Educational Change and the Secondary School Music Curriculum in Aotearoa New Zealand published by Routledge in 2018. Graham currently has 30 papers published in a number of journals both in New Zealand and internationally.
Associate Professor Dawn Joseph
Dawn Joseph is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Arts and Education at Deakin University (Melbourne, Australia). She teaches in undergraduate and post graduate programs in the School of Education. She serves on international and national editorial boards of refereed journals. Her national and international program of research and scholarship includes teacher education, music education, community music, African music, cultural diversity, and ageing and well-being in the Arts. Dawn has been Chair of the Australian Society for Music Education (Victorian Chapter, and has served on the National Committee of this peak association.
Dr Patrick Shepherd
Dr Patrick Shepherd is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Canterbury, teaching both graduate and undergraduate courses in the College of Education, Health and Human Development and the College of Science. As well as his life-long involvement in music education, his main research interests are synaesthesia and Antarctic Arts. He is also interested in musical creativity and music as an agent of catharsis. As a practising musician, Patrick works as a composer, conductor, performer and teacher and is well-known for his work in the community and with young people. His works have been performed in the UK, USA, Germany, Russia, South Korea, China and Australia as well as regular performances and broadcasts in New Zealand.
Co-opted Members
Dr Vicki Thorpe is a senior lecturer in Music Education at the School of Education, Te Whānau Ako Pai, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. She teaches in initial teacher education programmes, with a specialisation in secondary school music teaching. Dr Thorpe’s research interests include the assessment of collaborative creativity, composing at school, music pedagogy and arts teachers’ professional autonomy. Her research takes a socio-cultural stance and she has a particular interest in activity theory. Research collaborations include colleagues in the UK, Australia and USA. Dr Thorpe is the co-author and editor of the first book published on secondary music education in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Associate Professor Anne Power –
Dr. Anne Power is an Associate Professor, School of Education and Centre for Educational Research, Western Sydney University, Australia. Anne is a music curriculum expert and she applies phenomenological and post-qualitative research approaches to community engagement with the arts, service learning and disadvantaged students, creativity, outbound mobility experiences and intercultural music education. Anne teaches in postgraduate programs and supervises postgraduate research students. Anne’s awards include the ALTC Programs that Enhance Learning; the Professional Teachers’ Council for Outstanding Service; and the Vice Chancellor’s award for community engagement. Dr Power is editor of Issues in Educational Research, and Musicworks (journal of ANCOS) and a member of the editorial boards of international and national refereed journals.
