J. Simon van der Walt

Management: Head of Taught Masters Programmes in the School of Music, with responsibilities including curriculum development, course documentation, quality procedures, admissions, examining and resulting. Committee memberships include School of Music Management Team, Quality and Standards, Equality and Diversity Forum, Health and Safety Forum.

Teaching and learning: devising, delivering and assessing courses from undergraduate to masters level in such areas as composition, orchestration, arranging, Javanese gamelan, interdisciplinary collaboration, and practice research. Active as PhD supervisor, personal tutor to postgraduate students within the School of Music.

Research: presented original research at a number of conferences (ICLC 2020 + 2019, HARP 2018, FIMPaC 2010, ICMSN 2007, RMA 2005). Composition ‘CIRCULARTHING’ published in Sauer, Theresa ‘Notations 21’. Organised and presented at METRIC Improvisation Intensive III (2018). Active contributer to Reasearch and Knowledge Exchange Seminars. Extensive portfolio of research-based compositions and performances.

Composer: originated a substantial body of highly original work using a wide range of forces and media, including solo, chamber, vocal, theatrical and orchestral works, electronic and multimedia pieces (fixed, interactive and performative), and works for unusual combinations and contexts. Current creative interests include irony, postmodernism, improvisation, livecoding, Indonesian gamelan, and junk electronics.

Performer: formerly a jazz trumpet player: also trombone, didgeridu, guitar, and home-made instruments. Current active as a livecoder in a range of domain specific langauges including SuperCollider, TidalCycles and Hydra.

Teaching and learning: extensive experience in delivering a wide range of music courses, including Higher and Advanced Higher music, SQA and BTEC units (non-advanced and advanced), and university modules (Napier University and Abertay). Areas taught include performance, theory, sound recording, improvisation, orchestration, MIDI sequencing, composition, listening, contextual studies, creative music technology and aural analysis.

Curriculum development: played a leading role in developing and designing the BTEC HND Music Performance programme, including selection of units, assessment and quality procedures, and working with external verifiers. Put in place standardised set of HND Merit and Distinction criteria. Worked with DTP unit to develop uniform templates for HND assignment briefs. Significant role in Abertay BA collaboration, writing two units and part of programme document.

IT visionholder: since 2001, effective responsibility for planning and implementing IT provision within music. Developed new computer suite on move to main campus, liaised closely with Computer Services Unit over specifications for Music Box provision, and oversaw software/hardware migration from PC/Windows to Macintosh. Pioneered the use of Desire2Learn (D2L) virtual campus, including writing and design of online versions of course handbooks.