Research Interests

Dissertation 

The Hoop Dance Project: Searching for Truth and Reconciliation in an Ontario Elementary School Classroom 
In 2015, The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) released its final report, which detailed the experiences of residential school survivors and outlined a framework for reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. The TRC’s 94 calls to action impact all Canadians and challenge the education system to better serve its students while fostering important dialogues towards Indigenous sovereignty and cultural rights. Specifically, calls to action numbers 10 and 63 ask the federal government to sufficiently fund legislation that incorporates the following principles: “… developing culturally appropriate curricula,” and “…building student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect” (TRC, 2015, pp. 2-7). As a music teacher, I responded to these calls to action by collaborating with an Indigenous knowledge holder named Beany John. Together, we delivered a seven-week hoop dance unit which connected to the music, dance, drama and art curricula. My question was: In what ways will a hoop dance unit, taught by an Indigenous performing artist and facilitated by a white music teacher, contribute to reconciliation in an elementary school classroom in Ontario? 

Ultimately, a number of discoveries were made which I organized and interpreted using the seven good life teachings of the Anishinabek as a theoretical framework. I observed that by using a teaching approach that emphasized movement, friendship, teamwork, and fun, Beany and I were able to create a sense of enjoyment and enthusiasm that translated to unique, comfortable, and creative learning. The hoop dance project also created the opportunity to have meaningful conversations about Indigenous issues and topics and confront themes of humility and power sharing in the classroom. I concluded that although decolonizing terrain can be fraught with challenges, the hoop dance unit was ultimately a constructive step in the reconciliation project, evidenced largely by the special nature of our collaboration which gently unsettled conventional educational practice at the school. 

Current Research

Gate-Keeping at Faculties of Music: Ontario High School Music Teachers Discuss Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the University Application Process
This research investigates Ontario high school music teacher opinions about equity, diversity, and inclusion in university music program application processes. It will pose the question: What are music teacher perceptions of the barriers that students encounter as they apply to post-secondary music programs? The research responds to an open letter penned by the Greater Toronto Area Teachers Learning About Anti-Racism Group (GTATLAAG) which calls upon the music education community in Ontario to examine significant blind-spots in teaching practice, especially regarding racial inequality and post-secondary pathways. Informed by critical race and critical pedagogy theories, this research uses survey (quantitative) and interview (qualitative) methods to collect data from teachers regarding their experiences supporting students in university application and audition processes. 

The research is ongoing, however, emerging findings indicate that numerous barriers hinder marginalized students from participating and excelling in post-secondary music programs. These barriers encompass the cost of application and instruments, a lack of accommodation for students with disabilities, and the prohibitive expenses associated with private lessons. Additionally, the research suggests that teachers are also concerned about racism in music education. They strive to support the specific needs of their students and desire to see changes primarily through reevaluating and restructuring the dominance of Western art music. Furthermore, they envision reimagining program offerings to create a more inclusive and diverse musical landscape.

This research is internally funded by a SSHRC Explore Grant. The themes and questions that arise from the research findings will contribute to a 2024 Insight Development Grant application which will propose a larger scale investigation into student perspectives, a regional high school community music performance, and a short documentary film.

Collaborative Arts-Based Research

Improv Walk: Nature is a Part of Me 
During the pandemic, my worldview was both expanded and contracted. Awareness of suffering and tragedy beyond what may be sustainably contemplated was contrasted with isolation and a diminution of experience, both socially and geographically. Suddenly, what sustained me became the small piece of land upon which I live and the interactions I had with my young students through our shared screens and devices. Thus, when invited to engage in an improv walk with graduate students and faculty as part of an arts colloquium in the spring of 2022, I turned to stories and to nature, hoping to find both creative expression and therapeutic departure. The resulting manuscript discusses our shared experiences using improvisational theatre to engage with environmental learning. Using mixed textual and visual methods, we uncover themes including care, transformative learning, and social identities. My contribution specifically uses children’s story as genre to engage narratives of inspiration and resilience during the times of COVID. 

Forest Walking: Exploring Arts and the Environment
The 2023 spring arts colloquium and forest walk was also a source of inspiration for collaborative and creative writing, an ongoing and enriching endeavor. Drawing on my background as a musician, I chose to focus on sound in my creative journey and collected audio samples that became part of my reflective process. Initially, I recorded audio samples in the vicinity of our walking group, capturing the lively ambiance of voices, laughter, footsteps, and the crunch of leaves and gravel, accompanied by distant traffic sounds. As we travelled deeper into the forest, I recorded a second set of audio samples, centering the sounds of nature—bird calls, the wind in the trees, and the rustling of leaves. These audio recordings, combined with improvised keyboard and xylophone melodies, laid the groundwork for a sound collage, inspired by the musical form musique concrète. The resulting piece, titled “Forest Étude,” serves as a medium for me to engage with themes of tension, expressed through musical dissonance, and release, achieved through musical consonance. Throughout this creative process, I am reminded of the profound teachings and healing power of Nature.