I hold a Ph.D. Degree in Music and Anthropology from the University of XXXX. Given that the area of my research interests dovetails nicely with the focus of your research project, I hope very much to be considered favorably for your Research Fellowship in support of the project ‘Social cohesion and resilience through intercultural music engagement.’ My interdisciplinary research and teaching experience draws upon ethnomusicological theory, sociology, psychology, and soundscape ecological theory. I am passionate about these areas of inquiry, particularly as they relate to intercultural musical movement and engagement. I feel I could make valuable contributions if chosen to assist with your project.
My Ph.D. research focused on the music and musicians of a transnational Mongol ethnic minority both at home and in Australia, exploring some of the ways that musicians creatively negotiate representations of themselves; in this case, as members of a minority ethnic group and a transnational Mongol community seeking to engage.
I have spent countless hours investigating the music of Mongolian migrants to Australia, the source of the music on various levels, as an expression of diasporic identity, solidarity, and a quest for emotional well-being in their community. My extensive experience with studying musical audiences in their cultural context, alongside my transnational fieldwork and migration experience, has helped me achieve an increasingly sophisticated grasp of a whole host of issues as they relate to questions or controversies surrounding cultural diversity. Having spent years studying multicultural Australian communities, my work with the Mongolian community has been incredibly intense, based on relationships as collaborative research initiatives enduring over time.
Now a published investigator, I have worked hard to develop strong quantitative and qualitative research skills over the last decade. Having independently analyzed more than three hundred historical recordings and conducted over eighty interviews with musicians and scholars at an international level, I could not be more pleased with how analysis of musical performance and supporting fieldwork data now stand at the center of my world. I also enjoy my current focus on nomadic society with its creative use of visual and zoological metaphors.
Before earning my Ph.D., I earned a master's degree at the same institution in Music Education. I began my intensive study of multiculturalism in the psychological literature during this period, preparing myself for further investigation into the relationship between human behavior and mental processes on the one hand and music performance in its diverse cultural manifestations on the other. I examined how the same music expresses both a sense of longing and nostalgia for the homeland; and, at the same time, an intense desire to enter modernity fully. Through an analysis of historical recordings, I examined why performers tended to experience specific emotional reactions at certain stages of their singing; and how their emotions played out in apparent, especially prominent aesthetic features of their performance.
My publication profile is growing and now includes two books of which I am the single author – one in my two languages (English and Mandarin) and various articles in prestigious academic journals. I have been teaching as a guest lecturer at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music since 2018, and I have also spoken at various international conferences, enhancing my public-speaking skills. Years of tutoring piano students have helped me better understand human nature and cultivate my interpersonal and multicultural communication skills.
Contributing to the direction of the Musical Channel for China Central Television has helped me master my organizational skills further and heightened my confidence, particularly when organizing conferences and networking with collaborators. I could not be more excited by the prospect of being part of the ‘Social cohesion and resilience through intercultural music engagement’ project at The University of Melbourne and working with your department to further intercultural musical knowledge and appreciation through research and engagement with collaborators in the community.
I appreciate your consideration of my application, and I would be incredibly grateful for the opportunity to further discuss the position with you. I hope to hear from you.
Research Fellowship Personal Purpose Sample
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