BINA JOHN & NASIM NIKNAFS
Bina John teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Piano Skills, Psychological Foundations, Curriculum Inquiry, and Music in Childhood at the Faculty of Music, University of
Toronto. She received the Faculty of Music Excellence in Teaching Award in May 2014. Bina’s current research involves a collaborative project, Of music and Social Justice, with the Regent Park School of Music and Turning Point Youth Services. Dr. John has also served as a judge for the JUNO awards. Bina is the Music Director at St. Gregorios Orthodox Church at Lakeview. Dr. John performs with the In Contra Ensemble and the Awaaz Ensemble in Toronto. |
Nasim Niknafs the recipient of the Connaught New Researcher Award, Faculty Mobility Grant, and OMEA’s Agha Khan Initiative, is an Assistant Professor of Music Education at the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto. Born and Raised in Iran, Nasim’s selected publications have appeared in Action, Criticism, & Theory for Music Education, Music Education Research, Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, Philosophy of Music Education Review (in press), Punk Pedagogies, and IASPM@Journal. Nasir’s interdisciplinary research interests include equity and politics of contemporary music education with special focus on Iran, cultural studies, popular music education, and anarchism and activism in music education. At the university level, Nasim has taught courses such as Multimodal Approaches to Music Teaching and Learning, Cultural Perspectives in Music Education, Introduction to Research in Music Education, and Advanced Topics in Research in Music Education. Nasim holds degrees from Northwestern University, New York University, Kingston University, London, and University of Art, Tehran.
|
Collaborative Improvisation
A fundamental need for youth in the criminal justice system is access to rewarding and
rehabilitative activities that have the potential to redirect energies towards pursuits that will
improve psychosocial functioning. However, there is a paucity of research on the effects of
music making sessions on youth residing in juvenile centers in Canada. This pilot study reveals
the potential of collaborative group improvisation to enable these youth to develop a musical
identity, as well as develop musical, social, and emotional strengths in order to redirect their
focus that has broader implications for music teaching and learning.
rehabilitative activities that have the potential to redirect energies towards pursuits that will
improve psychosocial functioning. However, there is a paucity of research on the effects of
music making sessions on youth residing in juvenile centers in Canada. This pilot study reveals
the potential of collaborative group improvisation to enable these youth to develop a musical
identity, as well as develop musical, social, and emotional strengths in order to redirect their
focus that has broader implications for music teaching and learning.