Publications and Research Papers

Areas of Interest

• Music Education.
• Curriculum & assessment theory.
• Socio-cultural & discourse framed research.
• Innovative ear training | aural skills methods.
• Popular and Folk music styles.
• Arranging and orchestration.
• The music & life of Duke Ellington.

ORCID: 0000-0001-5864-9468

2025

Publications

• Olsen, P. (2025), Designing a new aural skills curriculum for a higher education popular music programme. Journal of Popular Music Education. 9(1) pp. 99–118. DOI: 10.1386/jpme_00138_1

• Olsen, P. (2025 forthcoming), Improvising for the test: influences of graded music examinations on the teaching and learning of improvisation within studio lessons. International Journal of Music Education.

• Olsen, P. (2025 forthcoming), Unlocking aural skills through improvisation. Improvisation Methods and Practices in Southeast Asia: Music, Dance and Theatre. Routledge.

Conference paper

• Olsen, P. (2025), It’s not us, it’s them: co-creating codes of conduct within student popular-music ensembles. Paper presentation at Association of Popular Music Education (APME) Annual Conference 05/2025. Memphis, Tennessee.

2024

• Olsen, P. (2024). Integrating more awareness of drum kit sounds and grooves into aural skills / ear training classes. Paper presentation at 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. Paper presentation at 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 video.

2022

• Olsen, P. (2022). Aural skills for popular music workbooks: volumes 1, 2 & 3.
  LASALLE | University 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 Journal. Volume 28, Issues 1 & 2. Duke Ellington Society, UK.

2020

• Olsen, P. (2020) Relevance, responsibilities and potentials of a jazz music society.
  Paper presentation at Documenting Jazz Conference, 01/2020, University of Birmingham, UK.

• Olsen, P. (2020) Improvisation cultures within formal UK music lessons.
  Paper presentation at Homerton College Research Series, 02/2020, Cambridge, UK. 

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

2019

Publications

• Olsen, P. G. (2019). Assessing improvisation in graded music examinations: conflicting practices and perceptions. 
  Doctoral dissertation, University of Cambridge. Click to read.

Conference paper

• 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.

2018

• Olsen, P. (2018). Assessing improvisation in the curricula of formal graded music examinations.
  Paper presentation at 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. Paper presentation at 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. Paper presentation at 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. Paper presentation at 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.
  Paper presentation at Centre for Music Science Colloquium Series,  University of Cambridge, UK.

• Olsen, P. (2016). Using spectrography to investigate relationships between regional accents & tone production. Paper presentation at Arts Kaleidoscope, 05/16, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, UK. 

2015

• Olsen, P. (2015). Songs about Alice: unearthing 150 years of whimsy. Paper presentation and Performance at “Alice through the Ages: The 150th Anniversary of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” 09/2015,  Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, UK.