Brad Merrick

Dr Brad Merrick is currently Senior Lecturer in Performance Teaching at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music at the University of Melbourne. He is a passionate educator and performer who has been involved in music teaching and performance teaching for many years.

Having completed his Bachelor, Masters and Ph.D. in the areas of music, arts and music education, he has been active in many domains locally, nationally and internationally, working in a combination of teaching and academic roles. He has been actively involved in developing teacher capacity and students’ understanding of their own learning, specifically the areas related to motivation, self-efficacy, self-regulation and goal-setting. He is fascinated by the things that drive people to do what they do in all domains, particularly music. He also has passion and keen interest in the purposeful use of music technology and how it can be used in the learning process, having undertaken research and published in this area. Having trained as a Music teacher, and having taught in a range of State, Catholic and Independent schools for over 30 years, Brad has a wide range of teaching experience with students in some of Australia’s largest secondary music and instrumental programs, as well as part-time roles at the University of Sydney, Western Sydney University and The University of NSW. He has also worked as a professional performer for many years as a guitarist and bassist while developing a strong connection with music teachers nationally and internationally. He has been a Head of Music and also worked in leadership and executive roles in schools and beyond, most recently directing the Barker Institute (Research, Innovation and Professional Learning at Barker College) in Sydney. A large part of this role included developing professional learning for a large staff while developing ongoing research in teaching pedagogy and emerging approaches to learning. Brad has also been involved with many professional organisations and committees such as Musica Viva, National Advocates for Arts Education, Australian Alliance of Associations in Education, The NSW Board of Studies, The Association of Independent Schools – NSW (AIS) and The Independent Schools Council of Australia. Brad is a Fellow of the Australian Society for Music Education. Brad is the immediate Past President of the Australian Society for Music Education and currently serves on the International Society for Music Education’s Commission on Music in Schools and Teacher Education. He has worked as a consultant developing curriculum for the AMEB, and also been a Senior Examiner and Assistant Supervisor for the NSW HSC in Music Performance Examinations. A passionate advocate for music learning in schools and quality teaching, Brad completed his PhD at the UNSW, examining the impact of self-efficacy on secondary school musicians. He is passionate about the use of technology in music, having completed his Master’s degree in this area and having also published in this area, including contributions to the Oxford Handbook of Music Education and the Routledge Companion to Music, Technology and Education. He has also published several textbooks that are widely used in schools throughout Australia and New Zealand. Book Chapters Merrick, B. Popular Music and Music Technology in the Secondary Classroom. The Routledge Companion to Music, Technology, and Education. 2017 Merrick, B. Embracing New Digital Technologies - Now and into the future. The Oxford Handbook of Music Education, Volume 2. September, 2012 Refereed conference proceedings and articles Merrick, Bradley and Mifsud, Andrew. Innovative and inspired learning environments in music education: Technology and the blended classroom [online]. In: Rosevear, Jennifer (Editor); Harding, Susan (Editor). Music: Educating for life. ASME XXth National Conference Proceedings. Parkville, VIC: Australian Society for Music Education, 2015: 72-78