Dr Pauline Black

Pauline Black is a part time Lecturer in Music Education at the UCL Institute of Education, London. She is also Deputy Principal of the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) Orkney, as well as being PGDE Music lead for UHI. Pauline was previously a Senior Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen where she held various roles, including Head of Music, Head of Music Engagement, Programme Director of the Music Education Degree, MMus Dissertation Supervisor, Ensembles Coordinator and Performance Coordinator. She was formerly a secondary school music teacher and departmental head and also has experience of working as an instrumental tutor in school and community contexts. Pauline has been External Examiner for Music Education and Music degrees at the University of Huddersfield; University of Sunderland; University of Northumbria and UCL. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Pauline has a wealth of music industry experience and is currently Chair of the Jazz Promotion Network, Co-Chair of Jazz in Education UK and Past President of the Independent Society of Musicians (ISM).

Pauline enjoys performing in a range of genres and styles, on trumpet and voice. She also enjoys facilitating and directing performances with others. She specialises in creative music making projects, jazz, improvising and collaborative projects using a range of instruments and music technology.

Pauline regularly peer-reviews for a number of leading music education journals and she has published various articles on music education. She has presented at various national and international research conferences as well as delivering sessions at music teacher conferences. Pauline’s research focuses on the lived experience of different communities and how they perceive music and multi-arts projects. Her research uses a range of qualitative and quantitative research methods. Pauline’s PhD was an exploration of the teaching and learning of jazz and improvising in UK secondary schools. Her research has included focusing on creating new discourses surrounding excellence and inclusion within music interventions; issues of gender in relation to confidence and improvisation and collaborative composing using technology.

Special interests

Jazz; Improvisation; Informal Learning; Collaborating with technology; Women in music; Inclusive practice; Life histories

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