CREATIVE EDUCATION | Dr JIM CHAPMAN

-Leading and Being Led By Music-

The University of Newcastle’s Senior Music Lecturer Dr. Jim Chapman survived a childhood during the ‘Bjelke-Petersen regime’ in Queensland. As an adult, he worked briefly in the Queensland public service till he began to feel that niggling feeling that things weren’t quite right. His discontent took him off to explore the world abroad.

“Some things were grinding against each other. I could either conform to what was required and it nearly choke me, or I could seek to express my own opinion and cause more difficulties for myself,” he explains of his time working in the Public Service.

He decided he’d had enough and had to get out.

“I opened up an atlas, closed my eyes, vowed wherever I would land I would go, I was pointing straight at Antarctica, so I tried again and got to Rio de Janeiro. When I got to Rio I felt like someone had turned the lights on. Here was a culture where people valued music,” he said. “There were music festivals, everyone knew songs, people were singing in public, [and I thought] maybe some of those people back in Queensland, maybe they’re just a small narrow-minded backward part of the world, maybe this is the real world.”

He clicked with the music. He was playing music with the people and hearing the strong West African influence. It all confirmed to him that his view of the world was one he could trust.

After that Jim travelled to New York. In 1994 he finished a music degree from QUT and then followed his heart to South Africa, where he freelanced & played music.

Over the course of his career Jim has taken on many projects and musical experiments. In 2007 he completed his PhD in African Cross-Cultural composition and released a CD of his music. He’s a composer, singer and musician- playing jazz guitar and percussion.

He arrived in Newcastle in 2009 to take the position of Deputy Head for Fine Art, Drama Performances and Music. He brought with him his background in contemporary and world music, knowing that until 2007 there had only been a classical music degree at the Uni.

He came hoping to help build the contemporary music degree, hoping to encourage students creatively.

The aim of the degree is to help students to create great music and to do it in a way that’s relevant and so that they can make a living out of it.

“Historically Newcastle has had an amazing musical heritage, particularly in the 80s and 90s with big bands. There’s a history of the University connecting to that heritage, and we want to be in the centre of that,” he said. “We are an agent of educational and cultural development in Newcastle.” Jim Chapman will be performing at Visual Music: A Creative Industies Networking & Performance Event on the 13th of August at the Newcastle Conservatorium of Newcastle. More info in our next edition! Photo: Provided by artist