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2025-2028 Lansdowne Scholar in Decolonizing Music Education

Dr. Anita Prest has been appointed as the Lansdowne Scholar in Decolonizing Music Education for a three-year term beginning July 1, 2025. This prestigious appointment—approved by the Provost on the recommendation of the Faculty Research Committee—recognizes Dr. Prest’s exceptional scholarly contributions and her deep commitment to community-engaged research.

As Lansdowne Scholar, Dr. Prest will continue to advance this important work through a series of research projects and knowledge mobilization initiatives—outlined below. She will also play a vital role in enhancing our Faculty’s research culture through workshops, collaborations, and community outreach.

This webpage will be updated over the three-year term to share new information as this work progresses.

A portrait of Dr. Anita Prest outdoors on campus at UVic on a sunny day.

About the researcher

Dr. Anita Prest, an Associate Professor in music education at UVic. Dr. Prest’s work is internationally recognized for its focus on decolonizing approaches to music education, particularly in collaboration with Indigenous communities. 

Recently, Dr. Prest partnered with Indigenous and educational institutions to organize 'Everything is Connected,' a large conference for music educators, school district Indigenous leaders and Indigenous community members to discuss and develop local action plans to decolonize and Indigenize music education in each school district.

Prior to her appointment at UVic, Dr. Prest taught K-12 music for 20 years in rural and metropolitan settings.

Project 1: Kwagiulth Family Cultural Experience

Full project title: Learning in Community: Envisioning bridges of collaboration between Indigenous culture bearers and music teacher candidates

Purpose: To examine students’ perceptions of the effects of a four-hour, immersive, Kwagiulth family cultural experience held at First Peoples House as part of their music education courses on their level of commitment to embed Indigenous content and engage with First Peoples Principles of Learning in their future classes.

  • Location: Victoria, BC
  • Timeline: 2024–2028
  • Supported by: Lansdowne Scholar research funding
  • Researchers: Anita Prest (PI), Hector Vazquez-Cordoba
  • Research Assistants: 1
Three people in Indigenous dress are pictured outside First Peoples House on campus. They are facing away from the camera with the focus of the image on the designs of the back of their clothing. Each outfit is different.

Anita's role within this study is to coordinate four separate Kwagiulth family cultural experiences with students over several semesters, code and analyse the participants’ self-reflections, and co-present/co-publish findings.

Project 2: Singing Maps

Full project title: Developing online music communities to support Sámi adolescent cultural resilience.

Purpose: to investigate traditional music learning practices and evaluate advanced state-of-the-art networked learning tools to support the broader participation of adolescents in Sámi musical culture through music education.

  • Location: International (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Finland)
  • Timeline: 2025–2029
  • Supported by: Norwegian Research Council
  • Researchers: David Thorannin Johnson (PI), plus co-researchers David Hebert, Annukka Hirvasvuopio, Ylva Hofvander Trulsson, Anna-Kaisa Liedes, Anita Prest, Te Oti Rakena, Clare Hall, and advisors Sondre Pettersen, Johan Sara, Jr., Koji Matsunobu, and Stefan Östersjö.
  • Research Assistants: 1

Anita's role within this study is to:

  • Participate in an international forum (four online seminars) to compile and refine knowledge of: Indigenous rights, ownership, and copyright from a legal and policy perspective; decolonization theory; and ethnic and national identity as they pertain to music education
  • Provide guidance as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board
  • Co-conduct a comparative systematic literature review focusing on Indigenous music education research initiatives from the past 20 years in the four international contexts

Project 3: Dialogues across Australia, Canada, and Mexico

Full project title: Dialogues across Yugambeh/Gadigal/Dharug Countries (Australia), Coast Salish/Kwakwaka'wakw Territories (Canada), and the Huasteca region (Mexico)

Purpose: A colloquium with Indigenous Knowledge Holders from Australia, Canada, and Mexico to dialogue around:

  1. Sustainability practices rooted in local Indigenous perspectives and their connection to the Land;
  2. Indigenous youth leadership;
  3. Indigenous languages revitalization;
  4. Indigenous perspectives across K-12 and postsecondary education;
  5. Indigenous methodologies in research; and
  6. Music making in connection with the Land and worldview.
  • Location: Mexico City, Huateca region, Veracruz, Mexico
  • Timeline: 2025–2026
  • Supported by: SSHRC Connection Grant
  • Researchers: Hector Vazquez Cordoba (PI), Anita Prest (Co-applicant), Candace Kruger (Collaborator), Thomas Fienberg (Collaborator)
  • Research Assistants: 1
Two images side by side. Left image shows someone standing outdoors next to a large mask sculpture. Right image shows a group photo of four people including Dr. Hector Vazquez-Cordoba
Anita's role within this study is to participate in the dialogue, support non-Spanish speaking Indigenous Knowledge Holders and others’ comfort in this bilingual space, and co-edit a special issue of the Media Journal in Music Education journal.

Project 4: Reparations in Canadian Higher Education

Full project title: Facing Colonial Complicity and Mobilizing Reparations in Canadian Higher Education

Purpose: to trace the specific ways that universities have contributed to settler colonialism, and to identify potential means through which universities can enact substantive forms of both material and relational repair with the Indigenous communities who have been harmed by their actions.

  • Location: British Columbia
  • Timeline: 2025–2028
  • Supported by: SSHRC Insight Grant
  • Researchers: Patricia Logan (PI), plus co-applicants Vanessa Andreotti, Cash Ahenakew, Sharon Stein, Will Valley, Lisa Taylor, and Anita Prest, and collaborators Pia Russell, Jane Morrison, Jasdeep Randhawa
  • Research Assistants: 2
Anita's role within this study is to conduct archival research at UVic to determine how the Faculty of Education was complicit in settler colonialism and colonial genocide through the training of residential school staff.

Project 5: Framework for teaching Náhuatl via music making

Full project title: Timomachtiah tochinanko (Learning in Community): Connecting Land, Náhuatl, and Music-Making

Purpose: To create a framework for how to teach Náhuatl via music making in the state of Veracruz, Mexico. This study will also explore how learning Náhuatl via music-making may impact the well-being (physical, emotional, and spiritual) of children and youth, families, and the community at large.

  • Location: British Columbia
  • Timeline: 2025–2028
  • Supported by: SSHRC Insight Development Grant
  • Researchers: Hector Vazquez Cordoba (PI), plus co-applicant Anita Prest and collaborator Victoriano De la Cruz
  • Research Assistants: 2
Anita's role in this study is to contribute to RA training (e.g., Human research ethics application, coding, analysis), support coding and analysis of transcriptions, and engage in knowledge mobilization activities, including co-presenting findings and co-writing academic papers.