Head of Programme (Music)
MA(Otago) PhD(Macquarie)
Email jennifer.cattermole@otago.ac.nz
Tel +64 3 479 4025
Research expertise
Jennifer is one of Aotearoa’s leading ethnomusicologists with a particular interest in Māori, Moriori and Pacific Islander musics. She is passionate about taonga pūoro (traditional Māori musical instruments), and is an experienced player, maker and educator. She was awarded a prestigious Marsden grant (2016-2019) for research on the origins and development of Māori and Moriori musical instruments.
Jennifer first learnt about ethnomusicology as an undergraduate at Otago, going on to write theses on Aotearoa roots reggae and Fijian stringband music. She is very interested in how people use music to express and shape their relationships to other people and to particular places (or the natural environment more broadly). Jennifer is committed to fostering community music-making, facilitating two ukulele groups; and to sharing her knowledge in both university and wider community settings (e.g. schools and marae). She is a member of the steering group for the Performance of the Real Research Theme. Currently, she is writing a book exploring the origins and development of Māori and Moriori musical instruments.
Teaching
- MUSI 104 World Music
- MUSI 105 Music Matters
- MUSI 140 Performance Studies 1
- MUSI 240 Performance Studies 2
- MUSI 340 Performance Studies 3
- MUSI 267 Music in New Zealand
- MUSI 367 Music in New Zealand (Advanced)
- MUSI 268 Performance in Asia and the Pacific
- MUSI 368 Performance in Asia and the Pacific
- MUSI 371 Research Methods and Approaches
- MUSI 471 Research Methods and Approaches (Advanced)
- MUSI 407 Seminal Works
Postgraduate supervision
- Māori and Pacific Islander musics
- Music and identity (e.g. cultural, gendered, sexual)
- Music and place/environment
- Music and power (subversive politics, arts/cultural policy)
Selected past student supervisions
- “Kwaimani Ana Liohaua Gia: The Heart of Us,” Irene Karongo Hundleby, PhD
- “The Conceptualisation and Sustainability of Rotenese Gong Music,” Agastya Rama Listya, PhD
- “Making the Choice for Music,” Sara Brown, MA
- “Turning up the Māori: The Showband Mix-o-matic App,” Louise Kewene-Doig, MMus
- “The Stylistic Vocal Techniques used in New Zealand’s Prevalent Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM) Styles: Musical Theatre, Jazz and Pop,” Hannah Thompson-Holloway, MMus
