Publications and Research Papers

Areas of Interest

• Pedagogical practices in conjunction with curriculum & assessment theory.
• Innovative Ear Training practices.
• Socio-cultural & discourse framed research.
• Folk music styles including Irish & Celtic.
• Arranging and orchestration.
• The music & life of Duke Ellington.

ORCID: 0000-0001-5864-9468

2024

• Olsen, P. (2024), Designing a New Aural Skills Curriculum for a Higher Education Popular Music Programme. Journal of Popular Music Education, Forthcoming. 

• Olsen, P. (2024). Integrating More Awareness of Drum Kit Sounds and Grooves into Aural Skills / Ear Training Classes. In Association of Popular Music Education (APME) Annual Conference 05/2024. University of Southern California, USA. 

• Olsen, P. (2024). Challenges faced when designing curriculum and teaching Music to students whose access to musical education has not been equal. In APDRex Conference 08/2024. Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore. 

2023

• Olsen, P. (2023). Building a New Aural Skills Curriculum: Relevancies and changes within an emerging music college.
  In Association for Popular Music Education Conference, 06/2023. New Orleans, USA. Click to watch.

2022

• Olsen, P. (2022). Aural Skills for Popular Music Workbooks: Volumes 1, 2 & 3.
  LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore.

2021

• Olsen, P. (2021). The Complicated Relationships Between Assessment and Improvisation.
  Lecture presented by invitation of the Music Education Faculty at the University of Illinois, 03/2021, Urbana-Champaign, USA.

• Senior Editor of Blue Light Quarterly Journal. Volume 28, Issues 1 & 2. Duke Ellington Society, UK.

2020

• Olsen, P. (2020) Relevance, Responsibilities and Potentials of a Jazz Music Society.
  In Documenting Jazz Conference, 01/2020, University of Birmingham, UK.

• Olsen, P. (2020) Improvisation Cultures within Formal UK Music Lessons.
  In Homerton College Research Series, 02/2020, Cambridge, UK. 

• Editor of Blue Light Journal. Volume 27, Issues 1-3. Duke Ellington Society, UK.

2019

• Olsen, P. G. (2019). Assessing Improvisation in Graded Music Examinations: Conflicting practices and perceptions. 
  Doctoral dissertation, University of Cambridge. Click to read.

• Olsen, P. (2019). Lessons from Arts Leadership & Management Training in the Arts.
  In delegation with UK Education Trade Mission to Qatar,2/2019, Doha, Qatar.

• Olsen, P. (2019) Experiencing Culture as a Part-Time Local.
  In Cambridge Sustainable Tourism Conference, 04/2019, Cambridge, UK. Additionally served as Senior Project Manager of the conference.

2018

• Olsen, P. (2018). Assessing Improvisation in the Curricula of Formal Graded Music Examinations.
  In British Education Research Association (BERA) Annual Conference, 09/2018, Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK. 

• Olsen, P. (2018). Recognising Specific Challenges in UK Pedagogical Culture for Performing Duke Ellington’s Big Band Repertoire.
  In 25th Annual Duke Ellington Study Group Conference “In the Beginning, Duke”, 05/2018, Birmingham Conservatoire, UK.

• Olsen, P. (2018). Assessing ‘improvisation’ inside and out of formal graded music examinations.
  In British Forum for Ethnomusicology & Royal Music Association Conference “Music Inside and Out” , 01/2018, University of Huddersfield, UK.  (Chair of the ‘Legacies & Resistance’ panel).

2017

• Olsen, P (2017). Tracing Jazz in British Secondary Music Curricula.
  In Kaleidoscope Conference, 06/2017, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, UK.

2016

• Olsen, P. (2016). Looking for Love & Lift: An Investigation of Performers in a Touring Irish Dance Show.
  In Centre for Music Science Colloquium Series,  University of Cambridge, UK.

• Olsen, P. (2016). Using Spectrography to Investigate Relationships between Regional Accents & Tone Production.
  In Arts Kaleidoscope, 05/16, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, UK. 

2015

• Olsen, P. (2015). Songs about Alice: Unearthing 150 Years of Whimsy.
  Research & Performance in “Alice through the Ages: The 150th Anniversary of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” 09/2015,  Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, UK.