Dr Ruth Herbert

Overview

Dr Ruth Herbert is a music psychologist and performer with an international track record of publications in the fields of music in everyday life, music, health and wellbeing, music and consciousness (including ASC and Trance), sonic studies and music education. Further research interests include performance psychology, evolutionary psychology and ethology. As a professional pianist, Ruth has performed with various ensembles, notably recording soundtracks for silent films commissioned by the British Film Institute (BFI) with the piano trio Triptych, subsequently touring these works at major venues in the UK and USA (e.g. Barbican and Lincoln Centres). Ruth is a co-director of the Creative Health and Wellbeing Research Group

After gaining a BMus Hons (1st class) and MA (distinction) in performance practice from Cardiff University, Ruth won a Munster Trust scholarship to pursue postgraduate advanced solo studies at the Royal Academy of Music. In 2009 she was awarded a PhD in music psychology (awarded without corrections) from the University of Sheffield. Positions held include Senior Lecturer in Music and Director of Graduate Studies (Arts) at the University of Kent, Head of Performance Studies at Dartington College of Arts and Lecturer in Music for the Open University. Prior to her appointment at Kent, Ruth held a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Faculty of Music, University of Oxford and a Junior Research Fellowship at Jesus College, Oxford. Publications include an edited volume (with Eric Clarke (University of Oxford) and David Clarke (Newcastle University) on music and consciousness (OUP, 2019), a book on the psychology of everyday listening (Ashgate, 2011), chapters in edited volumes on Music and Consciousness (OUP, 2019, 2011; University of Wales Press, 2017), modes of music listening (Rombach-Verlag, 2017), Sounding Art (Routledge, 2017), peer-reviewed articles in a range of journals in music psychology and ethnomusicology, plus encyclopaedia entries in these fields (Sage, 2014). Forthcoming publications include a new OUP edited volume (with Nicola Shaughnessy (University of Kent) and Emma Williams (University of Surrey) titled 'Beyond Autistic Stereotypes: New Perspectives on Identities, Gender and Experience

Ruth has also published extensively on aspects of music teaching and education in mainstream specialist magazines (Rhinegold, Aceville publications and ABRSM publishing), in addition to undertaking consultancy work for OMD UK (featured in the Mail Online), the Daily Telegraph and the BBC. Ruth is a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Sonic Studies, Musicae Scientiae and Global Listening Centre and a trustee for the National Youth Jazz Collective and Beyond Divisions Education Trust.

She is a committed educator, possessing SFHEA status and a PGDipLATHE (Oxon)

Current Research Grants:

CREATE ('Creating Research Ecologies to Advance Transdisciplinary Learning on arts-based programmes through the study of adolescent loneliness'. Role: Co-Investigator. PI Paul Cooke, University of Leeds)

Interdisciplinary researcher, music psychologist and professional pianist. Research interests embrace health and wellbeing, medical humanities, socially engaged participatory arts, music education, music and consciousness (including ASC, Trance, 4E cognition), ecological approaches to perception, sonic studies, evolutionary psychology, ethology and performance psychology. One key focus is the subjective experience (phenomenology) of music in daily life, and the transformations of consciousness that may occur in conjunction with engagement with the arts in everyday life and participatory arts contexts. Previously principal Investigator for British Academy postdoctoral study of age-related differences in 10-18 year-olds experiences with and of music (£227,998); Co-Investigator for AHRC funded interdisciplinary project investigating autistic girls identities and experiences (£645,180); Co-Investigator for UKRI programme award on arts-based practices and adolescent mental health (£1.25m). Publications include a co-edited volume on music and consciousness (OUP, 2019), a monograph on everyday music listening (Routledge 2016[2011) and a co-edited volume titled ‘Beyond Autistic Stereotypes: Gender, Identity and Experience (forthcoming OUP).

Research students

Publications by category