Prof. Liesl van der Merwe | ISME - International Society for Music Education

Liesl van der Merwe is a professor in the School of Music at the North-West University, South Africa. Her research interests lie in music and well-being, positive psychology and music education, Dalcroze Eurhythmics, spirituality and lived musical experiences. She supervises postgraduate studies and teaches research methodology, music education and bassoon. Liesl was co-editor of the Peter Lang book, Ritualised Belonging: Musicing and Spirituality in the South African Context, and is guest editor of a special edition of positive psychology and music education in the International Journal of Education and the Arts. She has published articles in high-impact journals such as Psychology of Music, Journal of Research in Music Education, International Journal of Research in Music Education, Music Education Research and Frontiers in Psychology. Liesl also performs in chamber music ensembles such as Trio Joie de Vivre and is the conductor of the North-West Youth Orchestra.

Liesl was awarded the degrees BMus, BMus Honours, MMus, all three cum laude. Currently, she is busy with her master’s in positive psychology. Liesl started her music career as a bassoonist of the National Chamber Orchestra and music teacher at the International School of South Africa, Mahikeng. After that, she was appointed as a music lecturer in the Faculty of Education Sciences at North-West University. Between 2013 and 2017 Liesl was the research director of the niche area MASARA (Musical Arts in South Africa: Resources and Application). Currently, she is a C2 National Research Foundation (NRF) rated researcher. She was the grant holder of the NRF research project: Social Cohesion Through Community Music Engagement in South African Higher Music Education. An outcome of this project was the publication of a co-edited Peter Lang book, with Prof. June Boyce-Tillman and Dr. Janelize Morelli: Ritualised Belonging: Musicing and Spirituality in the South African Context. Liesl is on Springer’s Editorial Board of the Landscapes: The Arts, Aesthetics, and Education book series. Prof. Liesl and Dr Ewie Erasmus are currently guest editors of a special edition on Positive Psychology and Music Education in the International Journal of Education and the Arts. Furthermore, Liesl is on the steering and scientific committees of the Music, Spirituality and Wellbeing International Network (MSW) and was the vice-chair of the International Conference of Dalcroze Studies (ICDS) from 2021-2023.

She was made an honorary research fellow at Bangor University, Wales, for three years. She regularly gives guest lectures to the master’s students in Dalcroze studies at the Royal Northern College of Music. She has been invited to a plenary round table session at the first International Conference of Dalcroze Studies, and the joint conference between Nordoff Robbins and the Spirituality and Music Education conference. Furthermore, Liesl was a guest speaker at the third International Conference of Dalcroze Studies in Vienna and the keynote speaker at ICDS 5.

Her research interests lie in the fields of music and well-being, music and spirituality, positive psychology, Dalcroze Eurhythmics, and lived musical experiences. She has supervised more than 30 postgraduate music studies in the field of music education and also teaches research methodology, music education, and bassoon. She has published articles in high-impact journals such as Psychology of Music, Journal of Research in Music Education, International Journal of Research in Music Education, Music Education Research, Frontiers in Psychology, International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, and International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being. She has also published book chapters in the Peter Lang Music, Spirituality and Well-being book series. Liesl performs in chamber music ensembles and is a conductor of the North-West Youth Orchestra.