Victoria

Matt is a music educator and musician who has been teaching classroom music for four years with six years experience teaching instrumental music (guitar). He is a music teacher at Carey Baptist Grammar School and is an MEd Research Candidate at the University of Melbourne in the Faculty of Education. Matt is a guitarist and oboist and has performed at Adelaide Festival, MONA, Melbourne International Jazz Festival and recorded three albums of his original music.

Karen is a musician and educator with nearly three decades of experience. Additionally, she is an early-career researcher, having graduated from Boston University with a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in 2025.

Karen teaches in the Master of Music Performance (Teaching) course at The University of Melbourne and, as of 2026, will be the Director of Music at Scotch College in Melbourne.

As a musician, Karen has performed nationally and internationally, including with luminary composer Karlheinz Stockhausen. Karen also composes music and has had works performed in Australia, Japan, Canada, Scotland, Iceland, and Italy.

Heather teaches music to early childhood and secondary students at Soundgarage and Hallam Senior Secondary College.

Michael is a Primary school teacher with an interest in developing strategies and processes which assist students to compose.

David is a Professor of Music Education in the School of Art at RMIT University. He is a member of the National Executive of ASME and editor of the Australian Journal of Music Education and the Victorian Journal of Music Education. His ongoing research is in education policy, doctoral research, and the music of D. B. Kabalevsky. VJME.

Sue is a Senior Lecturer in Teacher Education at The University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Education where she teaches music education in the Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary Master of Teaching courses. Having originally trained as a secondary classroom music, instrumental and ensemble teacher, Sue has since worked in a variety of settings from early years and primary through to tertiary in both regional and metropolitan Victoria.

Leon is an educator, performer, and researcher in music education, creativity, cognition, collaborative learning, creative pedagogies, and improvisation. His work at the Conservatorium of Music, University of Melbourne spans pre-service teacher training in music education, curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. He has published over 50 articles, chapters, and edited books.

Emily Wilson is a Senior Lecturer and Head of Music at the Faculty of Education, University of Melbourne. She teaches music education to early childhood, primary and secondary pre-service teachers. Her research focusses on engaging classroom music teaching.

Dr Brad Merrick is a Senior Lecturer in Music and the Arts in the Faculty of Education at the University of Melbourne. He undertakes research across the areas of music education, online learning, music technology, motivation, engagement, and teacher practice. Brad completed his Ph.D. in Music Education at the University of New South Wales, and he has contributed to the Oxford Handbook of Music Education and the Routledge Companion to Music, Technology and Education. He has published widely and sits on international and national editorial boards of various journals. A previous national President of ASME, Brad is also a past Chair of the (Music in Schools and Teacher Education) commission of ISME and is a passionate advocate for music education globally. He currently serves as a member of the ISME International Board and is the current President of the Australian and New Zealand Association for Research in Music Education (ANZARME).

Stephanie is an Associate Lecturer in Music at the University of Melbourne, where she contributes to the Master of Music (Performance Teaching) program. Stephanie is a string educator and cellist with over 25 years of experience teaching in school settings and is the Teaching Artist Team Leader for the Pizzicato Effect, a children’s community music education program. Stephanie’s research focuses on the lived experiences of young musicians, with a particular interest in diverse needs. Through her teaching and research, Stephanie strives to enhance understanding and support for young musicians.

Katie Hull-Brown is a music education specialist, doctoral candidate at La Trobe University, and President of the Victorian Orff Schulwerk Association. With over 25 years of experience across early childhood, primary, and tertiary education, she has mentored educators and presented nationally on inclusive, play-based pedagogy. Her work on music teacher mentoring has been published in the Australian Journal of Music Education, and in 2025 she received the ASME Music Teacher Award (Experienced Teacher). Katie’s doctoral research explores social and emotional learning through classroom musicking.