With a PhD in the field of cultural diversity in music education, many years of experience teaching music in international schools, and presentations at over 50 conferences around the world, Jennifer has mastered the craft of engaging students in musical activities that span many cultures and generations. Her approach is truly global, teaching culturally diverse understanding, awareness, and appreciation through music.  

Jennifer’s teaching style is complemented by her ability to play a multitude of instruments from every corner of the world. She has also studied diverse singing styles and trained with dance professionals in many different genres of movement. Taiwan was Jennifer’s first international school experience – it continued with Colombia, Syria, Malaysia, Singapore, the Netherlands, Canada, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic. For Jennifer, the learning never stops: in each location she studies the language, instruments, vocal styles, and movement.

What makes Jennifer stand out is her ability to transmit culturally diverse music and movement to students of all ages in a style that draws participants in, keeps them laughing, and encourages them to take risks, challenge their assumptions, and create music together. In her teaching workshops, Jennifer guides participants through methodologies that inculcate truly global, inclusive approaches toward teaching music in today’s diverse school settings.

Performance: Escuela Campo Alegre

Performance: Mount Royal University Calgary

Publications

  • “A Drum, a Gong, and a Lion: Culturally Diverse Music in International Schools”. In Journal of Chinese Ritual, Theatre and Folklore (Min-su ch’ü-i 民俗曲藝). To be published March 2019.
  •   “Musical Diversity in the Classroom: Ingenuity and Integrity in Sound Exploration”. In British Journal of Music Education (March 2018)
  •      “Step Outside and Bring in the World: A Wealth of Community Musics at your Doorstep” (2018). In “Many Voices, One Horizon: Community Musics in the Asia Pacific” University of Hawai’I Press. pp. 189-205.
  •   “Informal Learning through Culturally Diverse Music and Methodologies” (2016). In Canadian Music Educator’s Association Biennial Book Series, “21st Century Music Education: Informal Learning and Non-Formal Teaching Approaches in School and Community Contexts”
  •   “What we Have Works ... or Does It? Cultural Diversity in Canadian Music Curricula and Resistance to Change” (2014) Canadian Music Educator’s Journal (Vol. 56, No. 2)
  •   “Initiate, Create, Activate: practical solutions for making culturally diverse
music education a reality” (2013). (co-written with Dr. Melissa Cain and Shari Lindblom) Australian Journal of Music Education (Vol. 2)
  •   Teachers Studying Teachers: Pedagogical Practices of Artist Musicians. (2011). Rice, T. (Ed.) In Ethnomusicological Encounters with Music and Musicians. New York: Routledge. p. 84 (author Patricia Campbell)
  •   Musik Anderer Kulturen: Der Löwentanz. (2002) Musik Mit Kindern in Primarschule und Kindergarten (Vol 2)2.
  •   Chinese Opera in the Classroom. (1993). Journal of the CHIME Foundation. Issues 6-7. p. 132.
  •   Chinese Opera in the Elementary School Classroom (1993). Teaching Musics of the World: The Second International Symposium, Basel, pp. 14-17.