Dr. Gillian Turnbull, PhD, MA, BA
About Gillian
Gillian Turnbull holds a PhD. in ethnomusicology from York Universityand teaches music at Ryerson University in Toronto. She studied classical music as an undergraduate at the University of Calgary and completed a Master's of Music degree at the University of Alberta. Gillian also completed a certificate in Book Publishing from the Chang School of Continuing Education at Ryerson University. She has written for Hazlitt and BC Musician, and is the Toronto correspondent for No Depression.
Gillian is the author of the forthcoming book, Roots Music in Calgary, Alberta, co-editor of the forthcoming anthology Grassland Sounds: Popular and Folk Musics of the Canadian Prairies, and editor of Canadian Folk Music magazine. She recently started the Wide Cut Weekend roots music festival and has hosted radio shows in Edmonton and Toronto.
Gillian is the recipient of multiple Awards, Honours, and Grants including: City of Calgary Strategic Initiatives Grant, two SOCAN Publishing Grants (2012 and 2013), two Ontario Graduate Scholarship Grants (2005-2006 and 2007-2008), Graduate Student Essay Prize, Ph.D. Entrance Scholarship, and a Graduate Arts Scholarship from the Alberta Heritage Fund. Gillian teaches piano lessons at Neighbour Note.
Philosophy Of Teaching
I primarily view the role of the educator as a facilitator of knowledge; a role which is particularly conscious of the different expectations and learning styles of individual students.
By their very nature, people are inquisitive. My goal as an educator is to encourage a process which facilitates both questions and answers. Historically, my favourite teachers were strong at clarifying multiple approaches to the topics and questions addressed, all with an overt energy and enthusiasm toward the topics being examined. Rather than simply delivering information to students, I primarily view the role of the educator as a facilitator of knowledge; a role which is particularly conscious of the different expectations and learning styles of individual students.