Researcher biography
Hello. I am Ross and I am a teacher. However, before teaching I worked as a Music Therapist (the Royal Brisbane and Princess Alexandra Hospitals) with an undergraduate degree in piano and ethnomusicology (the use and function of music in society). Since becoming a teacher, I have worked both as a classroom music specialist and as a school instrumental teacher (violin) – often struggling to understand and reconcile why it is that we separate the two in Queensland schools.
My motivation for returning to study was a growing interest in children who have a disability and seeing how differently music is delivered to them in school settings compared to those who do not have a disability. My journey has lead me to discover how music is (generally) taught to these children and what we know about the results of this teaching. So far… it has been a very interesting (and surprising) journey indeed.
I look forward to meeting you all (albeit virtually in the first instance).