The Jazzlab Dec 9 Industry panel discussion:
Equity in Tertiary Jazz Education
co-presented with Monash University
afternoon session: The Jazzlab 4.00pm-5.30pm free
As part of this program and the Melbourne Women’s International Jazz Festival, this panel will be focussing on the way forward for tertiary education, equity and gender in the jazz sector. The workshop is open to current secondary and tertiary music students and those already working in the jazz sector.
Panellists:
Jess Green -Sydney Conservatorium - Program Leader - Equity in Jazz (Gender, women, transgender and non-binary
Andrea Keller - Head of Jazz & Improvisation, Senior Lecturer,| Associate Director Creative Programming & Engagement MCM/VCA
Paul Williamson - Senior Lecturer | Convenor of Jazz and Improvisation Monash University
Dominique Garrard - Academic Course Manager –Performance, Associate Lecturer- Voice, Performance, Aural Box Hill Institute
Free
Presented in collaboration with major partner Monash University
MWIJF & Monash University Gender diverse leadership program
An initiate of the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance, Monash University, the Gender Diverse Leadership Program in Jazz and Improvisation provides a safe and informal environment for students to make music together, cultivate networks and communities, and address specific challenges that commonly arise in the lives of female identifying, non-binary, and gender diverse musicians in jazz and improvisation. Through building the knowledge and skills of women, non-binary, and gender-diverse practitioners, and providing models of positive supportive practice, we aim to foster the next generation of participation and leadership in Australian jazz and improvisation.
Jess Green (AKA Pheno) is a highly regarded Australian guitarist, vocalist composer and educator. In 2024 she was appointed program leader for Sydney Conservatorium’s Equity in Jazz Program, which promotes gender equity in jazz. In her twenty-year career she has established herself as a genre-defying performer and composer. Jess has performed with jazz and blues luminaries including, The Catholics, Jim Conway, and Renee Geyer, as well as contemporary artists Laura Jean and Katie Noonan. She has supported touring international pop icons including Joan as Policewoman (US) and The New Pornographers (CAN). Jess collaborates as an improviser across jazz, new music and contemporary classical, and has performed with Bree van Reyk, Nick Wales, and Ensemble Offspring.
Andrea Keller is an Australian pianist, composer and improviser dedicated to the performance, creation and nurturing of contemporary jazz and improvised music. Over the past two-decades she has devised and produced a large and varied body of work that celebrates the wealth and diversity of Australian musicians. With a propensity for the new, Andrea has devised and led over twenty projects centred on her original works and highly individual reworkings of a diverse list of 20th century artists from across the globe. In addition to her own projects, she contributes to numerous collaborations and ensembles within the jazz tradition and has worked beyond the jazz idiom with the likes of The Song Company, The Black Arm Band, Lano & Woodley, and Eddie Perfect. Andrea has received multiple commissions to create new work for musicians in varying genres and has been awarded the Merlyn Myer Composing Women’s Commission (2017), and the Melbourne Prize for Music Emerging Composer Award (2019). Highly lauded for her music, Andrea has received numerous awards over her career. In 2022 she received the Art Music Luminary (Victoria) Award and has previously been recognised with three ARIA awards, multiple Australian Jazz Bell awards, and more. A champion of Australian creative music and a nurturer of emerging musicians, Andrea runs the educational program Gender Defying Jazz and is Head of Jazz & Improvisation at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, University of Melbourne.
Dr Paul Williamson is a senior lecturer and Coordinator of Jazz and Improvisation and Honours at the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance, Monash University. Williamson has established a distinguished reputation as a trumpeter and composer producing distinctive recordings of outstanding ensemble performances. As a leader, he’s released sixteen albums and has performed extensively internationally and nationally with jazz greats including Carla Bley, Charlie Haden, Eddie Palmieri, Linda Oh, Bill Carothers, Dave Liebman, Paul Wertico, Tomasz Stańko, Kenny Werner, John Abercrombie, Hermeto Pascoal, Aaron Goldberg, Django Bates, Vijay Iyer, Mike Nock, Tony Gould, Nasheet Waits and Mark Helias. Listen here: https://paulwilliamson.bandcamp.com/
Dominique Garrard is the Head of the Vocal Department at Box Hill Institute, where she also plays a key role in managing the Bachelor of Music Industry Contemporary Performance course. With eight years of experience in the tertiary education sector, Dominique brings a deep passion for both teaching and performing. She holds a Bachelor of Jazz Performance from Monash University and later pursued a Master of Teaching, furthering her expertise in education. Outside the classroom, Dominique is an active performer. She is involved in several music projects, including indie band Mutual Colour, Melbourne-based duo N.Y.C.K., and post-punk outfit Zombeaches. Over the years, Dominique has achieved significant success, performing across Australia with renowned artists such as Emma Louise, Amy Shark, and Felix Reibl. Her musical career has also taken her internationally, with tours across Europe.
Jess Green
Paul Williamson
Andrea Keller
Dominique Garrard
Jazz at Monash
The Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance (Monash University) Jazz and Improvisation program is the premier jazz course in Australia. We attract the highest calibre of teaching staff and offer a variety of performance, composition and research opportunities. Our curriculum includes unique opportunities for students to perform, learn and be mentored from seminal musicians such as Ingrid Jensen, Carla Bley, Joe Lovano, Terri Lyne Carrington, Charles Lloyd, Linda Oh, Branford Marsalis, Kris Davis and Dave Douglas.
Study Options include: BMus, Honours, Masters, PHD, Double degrees with Arts, Commerce, Education, Laws or Science.
