Dr Claire Nicholls

Dr Claire Nicholls
NameDr Claire Nicholls
Email Addressclaire.nicholls@unisq.edu.au
Job TitleLecturer (Curriculum and Pedagogy)
QualificationsBA Qld, BEd Qld, MEd Monash, PhD Monash
DepartmentSchool of Education
ORCIDhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-5183-0149
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Biography

Claire is a researcher at the University of Southern Queensland in the School of Education with specialisations in community arts development, experiential learning, audience development and pedagogy beyond schools. A hallmark of her work is the ability to bring these diverse disciplines together and synthesise original perspectives and approaches to doing research. Claire has special interest in qualitative research methodologies including phenomenology, applied philosophy and pragmatism. Her postgraduate and doctoral research focused on audience experience and learning in the concert hall and innovating research methods using mindfulness.

Employment

PositionOrganisationFromTo
Lecturer - Curriculum and PedagogyUniversity of Southern Queensland - School of Education2022

Expertise

concert pedagogy, audience development, mindfulness in research methods, community arts

Teaching

EDX1250 - Arts curriculum and pedagogy

EDU1100 - Introduction to professional experience

EDM8006 - Arts and technologies curriculum and pedagogy

Fields of Research

  • 360303. Music education
  • 360399. Music not elsewhere classified
  • 390101. Creative arts, media and communication curriculum and pedagogy
  • 390102. Curriculum and pedagogy theory and development
  • 390199. Curriculum and pedagogy not elsewhere classified

Professional Membership

Professional MembershipYear
Queensland College of Teachers
International Society for Music Education
BA
Qld
2007
BEd
Qld
2007
MEd
Monash
2014
PhD
Monash
2019

Current Supervisions

Research TitleSupervisor TypeLevel of StudyCommenced
Applying Drama Teaching Practices to the Teaching of Respectful Relationship EducationAssociate SupervisorDoctoral2024
Universal Design for Singing: an examination of Universal Design for Learning in the context of adult community choirs.Associate SupervisorDoctoral2023
Project titleDetailsYear
Research Training Program Scholarship
DateNameAwarding organisationUnderpinning research
2018Monash University - Best Postgraduate PublicationMonash University - Faculty of Education
2019Project Officer - Off campus and distance educationMonash Postgraduate Association

Classroom teacher’s perspectives on social emotional wellbeing in the middle years

Pahor, Tracey and Nicholls, Claire D.. 2025. "Classroom teacher’s perspectives on social emotional wellbeing in the middle years." Asia Pacific Journal of Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2025.2467940

Shared Music Listening: Walking alongside adolescents with experiences of trauma

Taverne, Ellen and Nicholls, Claire D.. 2025. "Shared Music Listening: Walking alongside adolescents with experiences of trauma." Counselling and Psychotherapy Research. 25 (1). https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.70005

Enhancing Reflective Practice Using Prompts in Online Submission of Case Reports (OSCAR): An Exploratory Study Among Medical Students in Rural Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships

MacAskill, William, Woodall, Hannah, Nicholls, Claire Dorothea, Brumpton, Kay and Pinidiyapathirage, Janani. 2024. "Enhancing Reflective Practice Using Prompts in Online Submission of Case Reports (OSCAR): An Exploratory Study Among Medical Students in Rural Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships." Perspectives on Medical Education. 13 (1), pp. 654-655. https://doi.org/10.5334/pme.1416

Breathing into difficult realisations and fumbling forward: Dilemmas of a children’s concert curator

Nicholls, C.D.. 2024. "Breathing into difficult realisations and fumbling forward: Dilemmas of a children’s concert curator ." Critical Autoethnography Conference 2024: Bodies, Breath and World. Brisbane, Australia 25 - 27 Sep 2024

‘Roary the Lion’: A community orchestra outreach concert

Nicholls, C.D.. 2024. ‘Roary the Lion’: A community orchestra outreach concert.

"The Layout Helps" - Community Orchestra Performance Spaces and Relational Audience Engagement

Nicholls, Claire D.. 2024. ""The Layout Helps" - Community Orchestra Performance Spaces and Relational Audience Engagement." International Journal of Arts Management. 27 (1), pp. 40-51.

‘She’s just hitting a triangle?’ Why being a percussionist is harder – and more crucial than you may think

Nicholls, Claire. 2024. "‘She’s just hitting a triangle?’ Why being a percussionist is harder – and more crucial than you may think." The Conversation.

Experiences of orchestral concerts through the eyes and ears of children

Nicholls, C.D.. 2024. "Experiences of orchestral concerts through the eyes and ears of children." 36th International Society for Music Education World Conference. Helsinki, Finland 29 Jul - 02 Aug 2024 Finland.

Creator, Educator, Curator, Sustainer? Defining audience development as music education work

Nicholls, Claire D. 2024. "Creator, Educator, Curator, Sustainer? Defining audience development as music education work." 36th International Society for Music Education World Conference. Helsinki, Finland 29 Jul - 02 Aug 2024 Finland.

Sustainable audience development and the art of ‘curating’ learning at orchestral concerts

Nicholls, Claire D. 2024. "Sustainable audience development and the art of ‘curating’ learning at orchestral concerts ." 36th International Society for Music Education World Conference. Helsinki, Finland 29 Jul - 02 Aug 2024 Finland.

'Who Sank the Boat?'

Nicholls, C.D.. 2023. 'Who Sank the Boat?'. Empire Theatres, Toowoomba 20 - 24 Sep 2023

‘Dippy’s Big Day Out’ Audience experiences at community orchestra education concerts

Nicholls, Claire D., Empire Theatres Toowoomba, Toowoomba Concert Orchestra and Toowoomba Regional Council Libraries. 2022. ‘Dippy’s Big Day Out’ Audience experiences at community orchestra education concerts. Toowoomba, Australia.

Becoming a Voice for Innovation in the Orchestral Concert Hall

Nicholls, Claire D and Henry, Matthew. 2022. "Becoming a Voice for Innovation in the Orchestral Concert Hall." 35th World Conference of the International Society for Music Education (ISME 2022). Brisbane, Australia 17 - 22 Jul 2022 Brisbane, Australia.

Essential Techniques for Curating Concerts for Diverse Audiences

Nicholls, Claire. 2022. "Essential Techniques for Curating Concerts for Diverse Audiences." 35th World Conference of the International Society for Music Education (ISME 2022). Brisbane, Australia 17 - 22 Jul 2022 Brisbane, Australia.

Innovating the Craft of Phenomenological Research Methods Through Mindfulness

Nicholls, Claire D.. 2019. "Innovating the Craft of Phenomenological Research Methods Through Mindfulness." Methodological Innovations. https://doi.org/10.1177/2059799119840977

Listening and audience education in the orchestral concert hall

Nicholls, Claire Dorothea. 2019. Listening and audience education in the orchestral concert hall. PhD Thesis Doctor of Philosophy. Monash University. https://doi.org/10.26180/5d51f4ca95ff3

Charting the past to understand the cultural inheritance of concert hall listening and audience development practices

Nicholls, Claire D., Hall, Clare and Forgasz, Rachel. 2017. "Charting the past to understand the cultural inheritance of concert hall listening and audience development practices." Paedagogica Historica. 54 (4), pp. 502-516. https://doi.org/10.1080/00309230.2017.1397718

Learning to listen: audience, listening and experience in the classical music concert hall

Nicholls, Claire. 2014. Learning to listen: audience, listening and experience in the classical music concert hall. Masters Thesis Master of Education. Monash University. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.22034.94408