Biography

Dr Eugene Seow is a Singapore-based music educator, composer-arranger, and multi-instrumentalist whose work centres on rhythm pedagogy, ensemble fluency, and curriculum innovation. He holds a Doctor of Music Education (Liberty University, High Distinction), a Doctor of Music in Contemporary Performance (European-American University, conferred via VAE), and is currently a PhD candidate in Music (Curriculum Innovation and Pedagogic Design, Victoria College of Music/Logos University). He also completed a Master of Music in Jazz Studies (Queens College, CUNY) and a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Composition & Professional Music (Berklee College of Music, Summa Cum Laude).​

Dr Seow is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), in addition to specialist fellowships across composition, pedagogy, and the rhythm section: FVCM(Hons) in Composition, F.Perf.ASMC (Percussion), FNCM (Electric Bass), FTCSM (Contemporary Piano Accompaniment), F.Musicol.ASMC (Ethnomusicology), F.Dip.SCSM (Teaching), FFSC, and AFNCollM. He is one of the only known musicians to hold fellowships across all three core rhythm-section instruments, anchoring his identity as a fully credentialed rhythm-section specialist.

He currently lectures at LASALLE College of the Arts and Singapore Raffles Music College, where his portfolio spans diploma teaching, undergraduate dissertation advising, and master’s supervision. He also serves as a facilitator within the University of the Arts Singapore’s IN-depth interdisciplinary workshop series, which brings together LASALLE and NAFA students to explore speculative and cross-disciplinary creative practices across four themed tracks.

Dr Seow also directs ensembles at NUS Voices and NTU Jazz & Blues, and teaches pre-tertiary principal study and ensemble coaching at leading international schools (Brighton College, NLCS, and SJII), preparing students for diploma and undergraduate study. He also serves as Professorial Fellow of Contemporary Music at European-American University, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Music at Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi Christian University, and Advisory Board Member & External Examiner (PhD, VUP), alongside examiner roles with LCME, SCSM, and ASMC. In 2024–25, Seow's modules received an average evaluation of 4.8/5 and he supervised ten postgraduate projects.

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His research explores rhythm pedagogy, global groove practices, and creative-health applications of ensemble teaching. Recent publications include accepted articles in Music Education Research (Taylor & Francis), Jazz Education in Research and Practice (Indiana University Press), and the International Journal of Arts Education (Taiwan), as well as practitioner reflections in Music in Africa and the RSA Circle. He is also a Peer Reviewer for Wacana Seni Journal of Arts Discourse (USM).

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As a performer, Dr Seow has appeared at venues such as Lincoln Center, the Esplanade, Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS (with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and Julian Chan Jazz Orchestra), Bar Next Door (NYC), and Wally’s Jazz Café (Boston), and at international festivals including the Spasskaya International Tattoo (Moscow). His collaborations include Terence Blanchard, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Dr Lonnie Smith, Samuel Torres, Ahmad Muriz Che Rose, Michael Veerapen, Julian Chan, Junji Delfino, Tony Eusoff, and Pop n’ Bop. He has also worked with Singapore singer-songwriters such as Yokez, Soph. T 霏霏, and Zeeaura. His compositions have been performed by the Berklee Concert Jazz Orchestra and recorded on original jazz albums Origin Story (2018) and A Blueprint for Tomorrow (2016).

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Dr Seow’s work bridges artistic practice, curriculum innovation, and community outreach. He is RSA Community Leader (Singapore Chapter), facilitating local engagement among Fellows and contributing to the RSA Circle platform. His article Arts Are Essential: Reframing Music Education as Infrastructure for Human Resilience calls for a systemic shift in arts education, positioning creativity as civic infrastructure for resilience and belonging.