“Findings have the potential to inform music pedagogy and industry practice, serving to define and highlight female career routes within jazz and beyond.”
Dr Ruth Herbert and Professor Nicola Shaughnessy have been awarded pioneering funding for a CHASE-AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Project titled ‘Women in Contemporary UK Jazz: Artistic Voice, Gender and Professional Identity‘. This is the first ever CHASE–AHRC collaboration between a university and a music National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) and will fund a PhD studentship in Music.
This ground-breaking initiative represents an important collaboration between the university and the music industry and supports the university’s EDI strategy. The project addresses the changing profile of UK women jazz musicians in the 21st century, barriers to progression (educational and professional) and the relationship between artistic voice, gender and professional identity. Applicants will have an interest in women performer-composers, contemporary jazz, inclusive practices and socio-cultural issues. Relevant professional experience is also welcome.
The successful applicant will have autonomy to shape the project based on their interests. They will receive research training, benefit from academic knowledge exchange and gain public engagement experience. They will also benefit from first-hand experience of arts management, invaluable for those aiming to develop a career in the creative arts sector.
The supervisory team will be Dr Ruth Herbert, Professor Nicola Shaughnessy and Issie Barratt, Executive Artistic Director and founder of NYJC. Ruth Herbert is a music psychologist and professional performer whose work is sited at the intersection between psychology and ethnomusicology. She has published extensively in the areas of musical engagement and subjective experiences of music in everyday life. Nicola Shaughnessy specializes in contemporary performance and participatory arts with particular interests in gender and neurodiversity. Issie Barratt was identified by BBC Radio 4’s Women in Power List as one of the 40 most influential music industry women. An award-winning composer, performer, educator and mentor for Women of the World, she is a leading advocate for gender equality.
‘This project will make a critical and significant contribution to scholarly and public understanding of ways contemporary female jazz artists are simultaneously negotiating and redefining the 21st century UK Jazz landscape,’ says Ruth Herbert on the impact of the studentship. ‘Findings have the potential to inform music pedagogy and industry practice, serving to define and highlight female career routes within jazz and beyond.’
More information about this pioneering studentship can be found on the School of Arts website. Applications must be made via the University of Kent’s application form for a PhD in Music. Interested applicants are welcomed to send informal questions to Ruth Herbert directly at r.herbert@kent.ac.uk.