Dr Jason Goopy

2024 Award Recipient for Excellence in Australian Kodály-inspired Music Education: Research

Dr Jason Goopy is Lecturer and Coordinator of Secondary & Instrumental Music Education at Edith Cowan University and a specialist in Kodály-inspired pedagogy. He experienced Kodály-inspired music education throughout his own primary and secondary schooling and completed his undergraduate and master’s studies at the University of Queensland at a time when it had a Kodály emphasis. He holds the Australian Kodály Certificate (Secondary) and has lectured in AKC courses in Brisbane, Sydney, and Perth. Jason’s tertiary teaching draws upon 15 years of teaching music in Queensland combined primary and secondary schools, where he led highly effective Kodály-inspired music programs. He was previously Head of the Arts & Choral Coordinator at Ambrose Treacy College and prior was a Highly Accomplished Teacher at Brisbane Boys’ College, where he established the P-3 Music Every Day program. His doctoral studies investigated the contributions of Kodály-inspired class music to students’ musical identity construction, for which he received the Callaway Doctoral Award. Jason is the current President of the Australian Society for Music Education, Education Committee Convenor and Immediate Past President of Kodály Australia, and an advisory board member of the national advocacy project Music Education: Right from the Start.

1. Demonstrated personal teaching and musical excellence
Jason is a talented music teacher, scholar, and leader, having worked across K-12 school, university, and community music settings. He completed the Bachelor of Music (First Class Honours), Bachelor of Education, Master of Music (Aural Pedagogy), and Doctor of Philosophy at The University of Queensland and holds an Associate Diploma in Saxophone and Certificate in Singing from the AMEB. Jason is known for creating flourishing music programs. He was recognised as a Highly Accomplished Teacher at Brisbane Boys’ College and recruited to build The Arts faculty at Ambrose Treacy College. At ECU, he has refreshed and expanded the secondary and instrumental music education programs. Jason is regularly showcased and invited as a guest clinician for schools, teacher professional learning, and community ensembles.

2. Demonstrated contribution of work to Australian Kodály-inspired music education and/or the Kodály Australia community
Jason has made a substantial contribution to the Australian Kodály movement. He has been a continuous active member of the National Council since 2011, including as President (2018-2022), whose work has touched on all aspects of the national association. Regarding research, he led the the open access digitalisation of 40 years of the Australian Kodály Journal. His textbook, Connections (2008) published through Sound Thinking Australia, serves as an exemplar of Kodály-inspired music education in Australian senior secondary class music and his literature review (2013) on the extra-musical benefits of Kodály-inspired music education is internationally cited. His doctoral research sought out student, parent, and teacher perspectives and experiences of a K-12 Australian Kodály-inspired school music program and his thesis (2020) received the Australian Society for Music Education Callaway Doctoral Award for the best thesis in music education in Australia. Findings from his doctoral research have been presented in Australia, Canada, Finland, Hungary, Malaysia, the UK, and USA, including a symposium he led with five colleagues at the 2022 ISME World Conference reporting on case studies of Australian Kodály-inspired programs. To date, his doctoral research has been published in two Q1 international journal articles (2022, 2023), one book chapter (accepted), and a research monograph (2024). His monograph is published in the SEMPRE Studies in the Psychology of Music book series by Routledge and features an open access chapter presenting a teaching and learning framework for senior secondary class music. Jason is the chief investigator of a funded national mixed-methods study investigating music teacher development and wellbeing from Australian Kodály Certificate courses (2024–2026) and also supervises HDR students researching Australian Kodály-inspired practice.

3. Demonstrated impact of work on Australian Kodály-inspired music education and/or the Kodály Australia community
Jason is a strong advocate of Australian Kodály-inspired music education in the broader music and education communities. Not only has he presented research at national and international Kodály conferences but also beyond in the broader music, education, and psychology fields. Prestigious international publishing houses publish his research outputs, bringing attention to Australian Kodály-inspired research to audiences where it may have previously gone unnoticed. Jason’s leadership in mentoring HDR students supports other Kodály-inspired teachers completing postgraduate studies, documenting innovating practice, and making original contributions to knowledge.

4. Potential model for others
Jason’s multifaceted career is a model for the harmonious interplay of teaching, research, leadership, and service. He is passionate about music education and creating opportunities for music learning to flourish. He is generous in supporting others and brings people together to make a real difference.

References
Goopy, J. (2008). Connections. Sound Thinking Australia.

Goopy, J. (2013). ‘Extra-musical effects’ and benefits of programs founded on the Kodály philosophy. Australian Journal of Music Education(2), 71–78.

Goopy, J. (2020). Adolescent boys’ music beliefs, values, and identity work in a single-sex independent school [Doctoral dissertation, The University of Queensland]. Brisbane, Australia. https://doi.org/10.14264/uql.2020.193

Goopy, J. (2022). Children’s identity work in daily singing-based music classes: A case study of an Australian boys’ school. Research Studies in Music Education, 44(3), 570–588. https://doi.org/10.1177/1321103X221109482

Goopy, J. (2023). Intersections and conflicts between adolescent boys’ musical possible selves, university study, and parent values. Psychology of Music, 51(2), 624–639. https://doi.org/10.1177/03057356221101651

Goopy, J. (2024). Teenage boys, musical identities, and music education: An Australian narrative inquiry. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003438878

Goopy, J. (accepted). Musical identities and well-being in middle school: Narratives of psychological needs satisfaction in class music education. In S. Cronenberg (Ed.), Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Arts and Arts Integrated Learning for Middle Level Education. Routledge.

Goopy, J., & Boron, J. (2024–2026). Music teacher development and wellbeing from Australian Kodály Certificates courses [Grant].