University College Cork

Michelle is an Irish traditional musician and Lecturer in Music Education and Community Music at the Department of Music, UCC. Michelle's research concerned with the ways in which music, education and community are interwoven in Irish academic discourse, community development and education policy.  

Michelle's research contributes to the fields of music education and community music; it includes both traditional and non-traditional, artistic research outputs. A significant focus of her academic work is on creativity and local community engagement. Her research focuses on themes of creative community engagement, creative practice teacher education, intergenerational arts and health practice, early years music and teaching and learning in higher education.

Through her creative practice, Michelle engages in performances in diverse communities which highlights the significance of performing in marginalized communities. These performances are research led and contribute to a wider understanding of the value and role of creative practice and collaborative music making to enhance meaningful exchanges between community and practitioners.

Michelle has publications in traditional output including chapters in books, peer review journal articles, encyclopedia entries and published and non published research reports.  As well as non traditional outputs, Michelle has one hundred and two performances include nine critical performances which are part of significant research funded projects on the development of collaborative community projects in education and arts and health contexts. These research based projects have been funded by The Arts Council of Ireland, HSE, Cork Arts and Health, The Linenhall Arts Centre, Mayo, St Patrick's College Drumcondra, Cork City Council and Music Generation Cork City.   

Michelle's research contributes to the fields of music education and community music and includes creative practice as a medium to engage in creative output. Her work has been cited as making a ‘significant contribution and addition to the literature on children’s perceptions of and perspectives on their own musical education, experiences, and identity’  (Professor John Buckley, 2016).

Michelle is a founding member of the Society for Music Education in Ireland (2010-2016) and board member of Cork City Music Education Partnership (2018-present). Michelle was awarded numerous prizes and scholarships for her work to date including:  The Seán Ó Ríada Prize (2004); The Ireland Canada Foundation Riverdance Award (2005); The Arts Council Bursary Award (2009); Doctoral scholarship from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (2009-2012);  UCC Enhancement Fund (2016); Excellence In Teaching Award (2019).

As a result of her research excellence in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Michelle was Awarded a CIRTL 3-Year Teaching and Learning Fellowship (2022-2025) to support staff engaging in the Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education at UCC.

Michelle's interest in inclusive practice at tertiary level education contributed to her being awarded an ID+ Fellowship (2022-2024) as a result of her excellence and leadership to support inclusive practice and the integration of co-learning modules in MU2112 for students with intellectual disability at UCC.

Michelle was awarded an Enhancement Award, UCC (2019) from the Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund, UCC for the project entitled: ‘Working creatively with groups a handbook to support the facilitation of creative practice in education and community context".             

Michelle was PI on an Early Years Research Project in collaboration with Cork City Childcare and Music Generation Cork City that culminated in an 30 page report that informs policy for early years music education in Cork (2015).  
 
Michelle developed a research informed performance project on Irish traditional music programme for young children in Cork city in partnership with Club Ceoil, Ballyphenane, Creative Tradition and Music Generation Cork City (2013-2014).

Michelle was research PI to the published Tiny Voice -Early Years Report (2013), one of the most significant research projects on Early Years Music Education in Ireland. The project was a partnership between Common Ground and Early Childhood Ireland. The research dimension was a joint collaboration with The Department of Music, St Patrick's College, Dublin and the Department of Music, University College Cork. 

In 2006, Michelle was awarded a prestigious doctoral scholarship from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.  As part of this work, she explored children’s perspectives on their musical worlds and culture lives in Ireland. She carried out research with children in a range of in-school and out-of-school contexts in Cork. Her original research findings are presented in the context of the National Children’s Strategy which informs policy for the development and role of music and culture for children in this context.