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/
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.
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
