Staff Profile
Ryan Humphrey
PhD Researcher
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I am a PhD researcher and Visiting Lecturer in Community Music. My PhD research examines the interrelation between community music and cultural policy by exploring how specific language choices are employed within community music discourse and the effect on community musicians' practices. Before beginning this PhD, I completed a masters by research at York St John that explored the potential impact of music-making for care experienced young people.
Additionally, alongside my research work, I am a community musician delivering music projects across the North-East of England for several organisations. My main area of work is with care experienced young people, where I am a Project Lead for the Loud and Clear programme at Sage Gateshead and lead musician on the ARC Stockton More Stuff Like This Please Foster Family music-making programme. I deliver a breadth of participatory music-making projects working across age ranges and settings, including projects in schools, community centres, and adults over 55 years of age.
I am also a Trustee for the charity Blue Cabin, an organisation that aims to support meaningful relationships through creative activity between children and young people with experience of the care system and the adults in their lives. Further details can be found here: https://wearebluecabin.com/
- School – School of the Arts
- Email – ryan.humphrey@yorksj.ac.uk
Teaching
As a visiting lecturer at York St John, I deliver seminars and lectures to students on the BA (Hons) Community Music programme around inclusive music practice, working with care experienced young people and delivering early years music projects.
Research
Thesis (working title): What we say and what we do: An examination into the discourse of community music and its interrelation with cultural policy.
My PhD research examines the interrelation between community music and cultural policy by exploring how specific language choices are employed within community music discourse and the effect on community musicians' practices. In undertaking this research, I employ a mixed methodological approach that includes developing historiographies of community music and cultural policy and ethnographic case studies of three sites of music-making.
My research interests are centred around the following:
- community music
- music education
- cultural policy
- community arts
Publications and conferences
Articles
Humphrey, R (In Press) Exploring concepts of ownership, empowerment and transformation in a digital music-making project. IJCM.
Humphrey, R (2021). Digital Music-making with children in the care system. Sounding Board: 2021/2022 (1)
Humphrey, R (2021). Delving Deeper into the discourse. How concepts of ownership, empowerment and transformation are central to community music practice. Sounding Board: 2020/21 (4)
Humphrey, R (2020). Examining the developing Discourse in community music. Transform: Student Led Community Music Journal: 2 (1)
Humphrey, R (2020). Social Pedagogy, Music Making and Looked After Children. International Journal of Social Pedagogy
Humphrey, R (2019). Music Making with Children classified as living with Special Educational Needs. Cache Alumni-Online.
Humphrey, R (2019). The Middle Stages of a music project. Cache Alumni-Online.
Humphrey, R (2019). Music making and the Potential Impact for looked after children. IJCM: 12 (1)
Humphrey, R. (2018). Early years music making as a tool for developing knowledge of nature in the nursery. Cache Alumni- Online.
Humphrey, R & Higgins, L & Simpson, K (2018). SoundLINCS Fusion: Looked after Children Project report.
Humphrey, R & Jenkins, H (2018). Reflections upon where Community Music sit within the contexts of Higher Education and the community in the North East of England. Encounters in arts, health and wellbeing blog- Tarumusiikki.
Humphrey, R. (2018). The benefits of singing with looked after children. Cache Alumni- Online.
Humphrey, R. (2018). Music making with an older generation. Cache Alumni-Online.
Humphrey, R. (2017). Music making in a Nursery for the first time. Cache Alumni-Online.
Humphrey, R (2017). Music making and Social Pedagogy. Cache Alumni-Online.
Humphrey, R (2017). Music as a tool for mathematics skills development. Cache Alumni-Online.
Paper presentations
Considering concepts of ownership, empowerment and transformation within a digital music-making environment: ISSME, Digital (June 2021)
Considering the concepts of ownership, empowerment and transformation in a community music project: RIME 2021, Digital (April 2021)
Ownership, empowerment and transformation within community music discourse: Trinity College London Music Education Research Symposium (October 2020)
Examining the concepts of ownership, empowerment and transformation in a music project working with young people living with special educational needs: ISME CMA, Digital (July 2020).
Language, a critique of meanings and Impacts: ICCM Student Research Symposium. York St John (November 2019)
The potential impact music making has for children in foster and adoptive care: MERYC 18, Bristol (November 2018).
The potential impact music making has for a looked after child: Breaking Boundaries Conference, Teachers College Columbia, NYC. (May 2018).
The beginning of the Journey- MA reflection: ICCM Student Research Symposium, York St John. (November 2017).
SoundLINCS Fusion Project Outline: SoundLINCS conference, Lincoln. (September 2017).
The Ecological Development between Foster Carers and Foster Children through Music Making: ISSME conference, ICMP, London. (June 2017).
The Ecological Development between Foster Carers and Foster Children through Music Making: ICCM Student Research Symposium, York St John. (November 2016)
The Undergraduate Experience of Studying Community Music in Higher Education: ICCM Student Research Symposium, York St John. (November 2016).
The Comparative Exegesis of the Emotional Responses to music between musicians and ‘non-musicians: ICCM Student Research Symposium, York St John (June 2015).
Invited lecturers
'Early Years and the Artistic Pedagogue Framework' - Sage Gateshead-MC2
'Loud and Clear- Early Years Music-Making' - Evolve Music Network 25 May 2021.
'Digital Music-Making in the Early Years' - University of Aberdeen 25 February 2021
'Music-making with children in care' - Canterbury Christ Church University March 2020
