RESEARCH
Research Programme and Publications

Research focus: Aural fluency, musical judgement, ensemble pedagogy, assessment, and practice-led curriculum design in higher music education.

Dr Eugene Seow’s research examines how contemporary musicians develop listening, coordination, structural awareness, and evaluative judgement through embodied, practice-led, and ensemble-based learning. Working across rhythm pedagogy, aural fluency, ensemble cognition, curriculum design, and assessment, his work develops practice-led frameworks for musical motion, judgement, and pedagogy in contemporary higher music education.

This research programme connects three overlapping concerns: how musical motion is generated in performance, how it is perceived through listening and embodied attention, and how it is evaluated through assessment, curriculum, and professional judgement. These concerns contribute to the emerging logic of Structural Momentum Theory while remaining grounded in practical questions of teaching, supervision, ensemble learning, and higher education design..

Selected Peer-Reviewed and Research-Led Work

Decolonising the Rhythm Curriculum — Music Education Research
The Intentional Pocket Project — Jazz Education in Research and Practice
When Formal Criteria Fail — Journal of Arts and Humanities
From Notation to Motion — International Journal of Community Music
Designing Genre-Inclusive Diploma Pathways — Asia-Pacific Journal for Arts Education

Research Strands

Aural Fluency and Plural Listening
Work in this strand examines how musicians learn to hear across rhythmic, modal, timbral, harmonic, and intercultural systems. It develops genre-inclusive approaches to aural skills, listening pedagogy, and curriculum design.

Ensemble Pedagogy and Embodied Coordination
Work in this strand examines groove, timing, role awareness, cueing, gesture, and collective musical interaction. It develops practice-led frameworks for ensemble fluency, pocket, facilitation, and collaborative musicianship.

Assessment, Judgement, and Higher Education Design
Work in this strand examines how artistic and musical judgement can be taught, evidenced, assessed, and supervised in higher education. It connects assessment validity, evaluative judgement, practice-led research, and curriculum architecture.

MONOGRAPHS AND LONG-FORM RESEARCH

Decolonizing Aural Skills in Higher Music Education: Rhythm, Listening, and Practice-Led Curriculum Design
Monograph (Under Contract) · Forthcoming 2027 · IGI Global Scientific Publishing, Hershey, Pennsylvania

Develops a perceptual reframing of aural fluency pedagogy in higher music education, positioning rhythm as propulsion, melody as gravitation, and harmony as directional expectancy. The monograph proposes a practice-led framework for plural-modal listening, assessment design, and curriculum reform across contemporary and intercultural musical systems.

PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES

Peer-reviewed articles are grouped by publication status, with forthcoming articles listed first, followed by published articles in reverse chronological order.

Forthcoming Articles

Decolonising Aural Skills Assessment in Higher Music Education: Epistemic Authority, Evidence, and Judgment
(Forthcoming 2026) · Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education

Examines how criteria-based aural assessment can misrecognise expert musical judgement in higher music education. The article reframes validity as an inferential problem and proposes an assessment approach grounded in disciplinary listening, aural fluency, epistemic authority, and context-sensitive evaluation..

Reflective Practitioner Framework for Contemporary Music Pedagogy: Ensemble, Improvisation, and Cross-Cultural Hearing in a Practice-Based DMus
(Forthcoming 2026) · TOPICS (Themes, Opinion, Practices, Innovation, Curriculum, and Strategies for Music Education Praxis)

Develops a reflective-practitioner framework for contemporary music pedagogy centred on ensemble work, improvisation, and cross-cultural listening. The article proposes structured reflective cycles for connecting practice-based musicianship with plural, critically aware, and responsive higher music education pedagogy..

From Notation to Motion: An Embodied Facilitation Framework for Community and Higher-Education Ensemble Contexts
(Forthcoming 2026) · International Journal of Community Music

Develops a practice-led framework for ensemble facilitation centred on temporal grounding, structural mapping, and expressive anticipation. The article reframes gesture, cueing, and entrainment as pedagogical sites through which musical judgement, participation, and coordination are developed across community and higher-education contexts..

More Than Just Piano: Patch Literacy as a Core Competency in Contemporary Ensemble Practice

(Forthcoming 2026) · College Music Symposium (College Music Society, USA)

Defines patch literacy as the ability to select, shape, and perform with context-appropriate keyboard timbres in contemporary ensemble settings. The article proposes a role-based framework that connects sound design, ensemble pedagogy, and curriculum application in higher music education.

Published Articles

When Formal Criteria Fail: Judgment and Validity in Arts Assessment
April 2026 · Journal of Arts and Humanities, 15(3) · https://dx.doi.org/10.18533/journal.v15i3.2652

Argues that criteria-based assessment in the arts can misrecognise expert judgement as error, producing validity failures that cannot be solved by greater rubric specification alone. The article introduces assessment formalism as a way of explaining persistent tensions between transparency, reliability, disciplinary expertise, and valid arts assessment..

Designing Genre-Inclusive Diploma Pathways in Contemporary Theory: A Practice-Led Curriculum Framework for an Independent Awarding Body
April 2026 · Asia-Pacific Journal for Arts Education, 23(1) · The Education University of Hong Kong · ISSN 1683-6995

Develops a practice-led curriculum framework for genre-inclusive contemporary theory diploma pathways beyond conventional written-theory models. The article proposes a three-level qualification structure grounded in international benchmarking, assessment validity, and intercultural curriculum design.

The Intentional Pocket Project: A Jazz-Informed Workshop Series for Emerging Ensemble Musicians
January 2026 · Jazz Education in Research and Practice, 7(1), 98–119 (Indiana University Press / Project MUSE) · https://doi.org/10.2979/jerp.00017
Articulates a structured workshop model for cultivating groove cohesion, role clarity, and ensemble fluency among emerging musicians. The article proposes a three-pillar framework of Specific Listening, Technical Awareness, and Macro-Sight, positioning the pocket as a teachable and transferable ensemble design pattern.

Creative Health Through Music Pedagogy: Case Studies in Identity, Listening, and Cultural Belonging in Higher Education
December 2025 · International Journal of Arts Education, 23(2), 95–112 (National Taiwan Arts Education Center, Ministry of Education, Taiwan) · ISSN 1728-175X · Official listing · Author-accepted manuscript · https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18243857 · Access publication
Examines how ensemble-focused pedagogy can foster wellbeing, inclusion, and identity formation in higher music education. The article advances a practice-led account of creative health through listening, collaborative musicianship, culturally responsive pedagogy, and student belonging.

Decolonising the Rhythm Curriculum: Integrating Global Groove Practices in Undergraduate Aural Skills
September 2025 · Music Education Research, 27(5), 593 –603 (Taylor & Francis) · https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2025.2565148
Develops a decolonising model for rhythm pedagogy that integrates African, Indian, and other global groove practices into undergraduate aural skills curricula. The article reframes rhythmic literacy as plural, embodied, culturally situated, and central to contemporary higher music education.

BOOK CHAPTERS

Book chapters extend this research programme into curriculum design, creative health, decolonial pedagogy, project-based learning, and practice-led ensemble education.

Ensemble Rhythm as Didactic Space: A Bildung-Oriented, Cross-Curricular Design
(Forthcoming 2027) · in Cultivating Didactic Spaces with Bildung Theories and Cross-Curricular Approaches in Educational Practice (Vernon Press, Wilmington, DE)
Frames rhythm-based ensemble pedagogy as a Bildung-oriented model for cross-curricular teaching. The chapter connects musical practice with mathematics, language, civics, and embodied learning through a transferable ensemble design framework.

Rhythm, Flow, and Belonging: Ensemble Pedagogy as Creative Health
(Invited chapter, under review) · in Music & Mind (Vernon Press, Wilmington, DE)
Positions rhythm-centred ensemble pedagogy as a creative health model grounded in entrainment, groove, flow, and synchrony. The chapter links ensemble practice to attention regulation, resilience, and belonging across educational and community contexts.

Rhythm as Decolonial Pedagogy: Ensemble Practice for South African Creative Arts Education
(Forthcoming 2026) · in Voices of Creative Education: Navigating Challenges and Opportunities in South African Arts Education (University of South Africa Press — UNISA)
Proposes rhythm-centred ensemble pedagogy as a pragmatic route for decolonial Creative Arts education in South Africa. The chapter shows how cyclic, participatory groove practices can support collaboration, belonging, and culturally sustaining teaching.

The Intentional Pocket Project: Ensemble Groove Labs as Project-Based Learning in Higher Music Education
(Forthcoming 2026) · in Cases on Project-Based Learning in Music Education (IGI Global, Hershey, Pennsylvania)
Presents rhythm-based ensemble pedagogy as a project-based learning model in higher music education. The chapter shows how structured groove labs can support students in co-designing ensemble artefacts, developing groove fluency, and reflecting on collaborative musicianship.

Music on Screen – Reflections on Livestreamed Concerts
March 2022 · in Things Will Never Be the Same – Or Will They? (UBSS CSR Learning Futures Vol. 2, Smart Questions) · ISBN 978-1-907453-34-2 · Access publication
Reflects on artistic adaptation during the COVID-19 period through the lens of livestreamed performance. The chapter considers how digital presentation reshaped audience engagement, performance design, and artistic responsiveness in pandemic-era music practice.

WORKING PAPERS AND WHITE PAPERS

Working Papers in Development

Working papers identify active research directions in development, while white papers provide standards-oriented frameworks for assessment, supervision, and curriculum design in contemporary music higher education.

Assessing Aural Fluency in Contemporary Music Education
Develops a genre-inclusive framework for assessing aural fluency in contemporary music education. The paper aligns listening, pedagogy, benchmarking, and evidentiary design with contemporary ensemble practice and higher-education assessment.

Aural Fluency Across Systems: Cyclic Time, Modal Colour, and Micro-Intonation
Develops a plural-modal aural fluency curriculum linking cyclic time, modal pathways, and micro-intonation to contemporary ensemble practice. The paper proposes a unified listening framework that connects entrainment, pitch organisation, intercultural fluency, and higher-education pedagogy.

Brush Technique as Cross-Genre Pedagogy for Contemporary Drum Set
Develops a cross-genre brush framework for contemporary drum set grounded in sound, motion, and groove function. The paper repositions brush technique as a transferable pedagogical system for contemporary ensemble musicianship beyond jazz lineage alone.

Harmonic Flow as Directional Expectancy: Teaching Harmonic Motion in Contemporary Music
Reframes harmony as perceptual motion rather than static chordal succession in contemporary music pedagogy. The paper proposes harmonic topologies and momentum states as tools for teaching directional expectancy across genre-inclusive theory and aural-skills contexts.

White Papers and Standards Frameworks

Aural Fluency Assessment in Contemporary Music Education: A practice-led framework for plural-modal, genre-inclusive assessment
2026 · White Paper (WP-01) · Zenodo · https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18115790

Proposes a standards-oriented framework for assessing aural fluency in contemporary music higher education. The white paper defines evidentiary modes, benchmarking strategies, and examiner calibration principles for plural-modal and genre-inclusive assessment.

A Practice-Led Research Methodology for Contemporary Music Higher Education: A standards-oriented framework for supervising and assessing undergraduate practice-led research
2026 · White Paper (WP-02) · Zenodo · https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18123220

Proposes a standards-oriented framework for supervising and assessing undergraduate practice-led research in contemporary music higher education. The white paper clarifies practice as inquiry, evidentiary principles, supervision design, and assessment alignment within quality-assurance contexts.

CONFERENCES AND INVITED RESEARCH

Conference Papers, Webinars, and Invited Research

Selected conference papers, invited webinars, and research presentations extending this work across music education, artistic research, jazz pedagogy, intercultural musicianship, and higher education.

Pocket as Authored Space: Distributed Authority in Embodied Ensemble Practice
July 2026 · ADPRex × APARN 2026: Who Speaks? Authorship, Authority, and Authenticity · Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, University of the Arts Singapore · Singapore

Peer-reviewed conference paper examining ensemble pocket as a distributed and embodied phenomenon. The paper reframes authorship in collaborative music-making as contingent and emergent, shifting authority from individual performers toward shared processes of timing, gesture, density, and collective momentum.

Re-centering the Decolonising Ear: Aural Fluency and Plural-Modal Listening in East-Asian-Adjacent Pedagogy
July 2026 · 9th Symposium of the ICTMD Study Group on Musics of East Asia · Hosted by National Taiwan Normal University · Taipei, Taiwan

Peer-reviewed conference paper examining aural fluency and plural-modal listening in higher music education. The paper reframes listening beyond singular tonal-metric norms through intercultural approaches to rhythm, tuning, modal colour, and ensemble texture.

When Techniques Travel: Translating Indian and Afro-Cuban Hand-Motion Logics into Contemporary Cajón Groove Fluency
June 2026 · Roots & Routes Intercultural Music Symposium (Poster Session) · Pasat Merdu · Singapore

Practice-led poster presentation examining how hand-motion logics from Indian and Afro-Cuban percussion can be translated into a contemporary cajón system for low-volume ensemble work. The poster proposes split-hand articulation and heel-toe bass motion as transferable tools for groove clarity, sound-function, and intercultural pedagogy in singer-songwriter, pop, and contemporary acoustic settings.

Identity-Aligned Repertoire Mapping for Engagement and Participation in Higher Music Education
June 2026 · Redesigning Pedagogy International Conference (RPIC) 2026 · National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University · Singapore

Peer-reviewed conference paper examining how identity-aligned repertoire selection can function as a pedagogical lever for engagement and participation in higher music education. The paper proposes a transferable framework for linking culturally legible repertoire to disciplinary concepts while maintaining rigour, coherence, and curricular intent.

Teaching Musical Judgement in the Age of AI
May 2026 · NTU Annual Learning and Teaching Conference: From Good to Great 2026 · Centre for Teaching, Learning and Pedagogy, Nanyang Technological University · Singapore

Peer-reviewed conference paper examining evaluative judgement, embodied listening, and musical responsiveness in AI-mediated higher music education. The paper argues that generative AI should function not as a substitute for musicianship, but as a prompt for comparison, critique, revision, and accountable artistic decision-making.

The Intentional Pocket Project: A Jazz-Informed Workshop Series for Emerging Ensemble Musicians
April 2026 · Jazz Education Network (JEN) Invited Research Webinar · Online

Research webinar based on the peer-reviewed article published in Jazz Education in Research and Practice. The presentation frames groove as a trainable collective skill, using the Intentional Pocket model of Specific Listening, Technical Awareness, and Macro-Sight to address timing, articulation, rhythm-section roles, rehearsal interaction, and ensemble fluency in higher music education.

Rhythm as Decolonial Pedagogy: Cyclic Ensemble “Rhythm Labs” for Creative Arts Education
March 2026 · Music and Society – 6th International Music Conference · Faculty of Music, University of Debrecen · Debrecen, Hungary
Peer-reviewed conference paper proposing a rhythm-centred pedagogical model for Creative Arts and higher music education. The paper frames ensemble rhythm as a socially situated practice and outlines short cyclic rhythm labs for developing listening, embodied coordination, and formal awareness through low-resource classroom routines.

Pocket as Embodied Space: Reflections from the Bandstand
February 2026 · 5th International Network for Artistic Jazz Research (INARJ) Conference · JAM MUSIC LAB Private University (Vienna), hosted by Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel & Erasmushogeschool Brussel · Brussels, Belgium

Peer-reviewed conference paper examining groove and ensemble interaction through embodied, practice-led inquiry. The paper positions pocket as an emergent, relational phenomenon shaped by microtiming, gesture, and collective listening in small-group performance contexts.

PRACTICE-LED CONTEXT INFORMING RESEARCH

Selected professional practice contexts that inform ongoing research into rhythm-section fluency, ensemble coordination, intercultural musicianship, evaluative judgement, and contemporary higher music education.

Selected Performance Contexts

A Night of Jazz with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO)

October 2025 · Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra × Julian Chan Jazz Orchestra (Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS, Kuala Lumpur)

Performed drum set in a large-ensemble collaboration with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and the Julian Chan Jazz Orchestra. The performance situates rhythm-section practice within symphonic jazz, large-ensemble coordination, and intercultural ensemble contexts.

Selected Industry and Ensemble Engagements

The TENG Company
2018–present · Arranger, Percussionist, Bassist

Ongoing practitioner engagement with a leading Singapore arts company and intercultural ensemble specialising in Chinese percussion and contemporary hybrid performance. This work informs research into ensemble cognition, rhythmic organisation, intercultural listening, and contemporary musicianship.

Singapore Armed Forces Band
2009–2013 · Principal Drummer, Percussionist, Pianist, Bassist; Combo Band 2IC

Served as a principal rhythm-section musician across ceremonial, orchestral, jazz, and popular repertoire within a national band context. The role developed ensemble leadership, multi-instrumental fluency, rehearsal coordination, and cross-genre rhythm-section practice across large and small ensembles.

Selected Major Arts Venues
Esplanade – Concert Hall & Outdoor Theatre; Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music; Singapore Conference Hall; Berklee Performance Center (Boston); Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center (New York)

Performed as drummer, percussionist, and bassist at major concert venues in Singapore and internationally. These appearances reflect sustained large-ensemble, rhythm-section, and intercultural performance practice across diverse professional contexts.

FOUNDATIONAL ACADEMIC WORK

Selected earlier academic outputs that established the foundations for later work on aural fluency, rhythm pedagogy, intercultural listening, contemporary performance, and practice-led higher music education.

Integrating World Percussion into Graduate Jazz Training: A Practitioner Reflection
August 2025 · CUNY Academic Works (Queens College, City University of New York)
Reflects on the pedagogical and artistic implications of replacing conventional graduate jazz drum-set lessons with personalised world percussion study at Queens College. The article considers how cross-cultural rhythmic study can reshape listening, technique, ensemble understanding, and later approaches to rhythm pedagogy. Access publication

Doctor of Music in Contemporary Performance: Portfolio Submission
July 2025 · Zenodo (European-American University) · https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15833940
Archived practice-led doctoral portfolio documenting contemporary performance, rhythm-section fluency, and curriculum innovation. Creative portfolio details are listed on the Creative Works page. View portfolio

Teaching Aural Skills in Undergraduate Music Using World Music Concepts: A Narrative Inquiry

August 2024 · Doctoral Thesis, Liberty University School of Music · DME

Explores how rhythmic and modal concepts from African, Indian, Arabic, and Japanese traditions can inform undergraduate aural skills pedagogy. The thesis proposes integrative frameworks for cross-cultural listening, plural musicianship, and genre-inclusive curriculum development. Download thesis

PROFESSIONAL ACADEMIC SERVICE AND EXAMINING

Selected examiner training and academic service activities supporting standards calibration, assessment literacy, and external evaluation in music education.

LCME Examiner Seminar (Examiner Training)
February 2026 · London College of Music Examinations (University of West London), UK
Professional examiner training and calibration undertaken with London College of Music Examinations, University of West London. The seminar supports consistency, standards alignment, and evaluative reliability in music assessment practice.

SCSM Music Examiner Training
July 2025 · St Cecilia School of Music (SCSM), Singapore
Examiner training in graded and diploma-level contemporary music assessment. The training supports applied judgement, standards calibration, and assessment consistency in external music examination contexts.

ESSAYS AND PUBLIC COMMENTARY

Selected public-facing essays and commentary translating research concerns in music education, artistic practice, decolonising pedagogy, credentials, and arts advocacy for wider professional audiences.

Diplomas: pros and cons
November 2025 · Music Teacher (Mark Allen Group, UK)
Reflects on the role of performance diplomas in a musician’s professional development. The essay examines how formal recognition, lived experience, discipline, and sustained artistic practice shape credibility in contemporary music careers. Read article

Feeling First: A Practitioner’s Reflection on Decolonising Music Pedagogy
September 2025 · JHPCU Blog (Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi Christian University)
Explores how embodied experience, ensemble fluency, and world-percussion practice can reframe music education beyond notation-centred models. The essay positions feeling, groove, and student agency as entry points into decolonising and practice-led pedagogy. Read article

From Berklee to Boutique: How I Built My Academic Pathway Through Performance, Professionalism, and Purpose
August 2025 · EAU News (European-American University)
Traces a practitioner-led academic journey across conservatory training, professional performance, and portfolio-based higher education. The essay reflects on how academic credibility can be built through rigour, service, reflective practice, and educational purpose. Read article

Decolonising Music Education Across Diverse Institutions
July 2025 · Music In Africa
Reflects on decolonising music education across schools, universities, and community settings. The essay considers how culturally responsive approaches can support inclusion, musical belonging, and pedagogical relevance across diverse institutions. Read article

The Arts Aren’t Optional Extras; They Are Essential
June 2025 · RSA Circle (Royal Society of Arts)
Argues for the arts as civic and educational infrastructure rather than discretionary enrichment. The essay links music education to wellbeing, resilience, cultural identity, and community renewal in post-crisis contexts. Read article

View selected publications, author profiles, archived outputs, and research identifiers via Google Scholar, ORCID, Zenodo, ResearchGate, Academia, LinkedIn, and ResearcherID.

RESEARCH Research Programme and Publications