DCU Welcomes Dr Rhoda Bernard
The School of Arts Education and Movement is delighted to welcome Dr. Rhoda Bernard, founder and managing director of the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education (BIAAE). Dr Bernard will be hosted in School AEM during her residency at the Institute of Education at Dublin City University. While here, she will deliver a lecture on Accessible Arts Education: Perspectives on Reaching Every Student in Music and Arts Education as part of the DCU Institute of Education Dean's Lecture Series 2025. She will also engage in an exchange of ideas and expertise with the students, faculty, administrators of the university, and local educators to develop and advance accessible music education as part of the project Building Expertise Toward Socially Inclusive Music Education. Through open presentations, interactive workshops, and personal consultations, Dr. Bernard will work with the Dublin City University community to foster a more inclusive learning environment for students with disabilities. Additionally, she will help the university incorporate accessible arts education pedagogy and best practices into the training of new educators. Dublin City University is part of Berklee Global Partners, a worldwide collective of institutions with a shared vision and mission, and maintains a credit-transfer agreement with Berklee.
Dr Regina Murphy, Associate Professor in the School of Arts Education and Movement at Dublin City University's Institute of Education said “We are very excited to welcome Dr. Rhoda Bernard as a key contributor to our project Building Expertise Toward Socially Inclusive Music Education. As one of the world’s leading young universities, our focus is on providing a transformative student experience that equips graduates with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed. With her multi-perspectival expertise and her track record as a champion for accessible arts education, there is no doubt that Rhoda will have a significant impact on the quality of our pedagogies in music education more broadly, as well as on our ongoing research on inclusive music education.”
A long-standing advocate for the disabled community, Dr. Bernard began to pioneer accessibility within the arts education space soon after joining Boston Conservatory, when, in 2007, she created a one-of-a-kind program for students on the autism spectrum. This program developed into the BIAAE, which was formally launched in 2017. Today, more than 300 individuals with disabilities engage in the BIAAE’s arts education programs every week. Through private and group instruction led by highly trained and compassionate educators, the BIAAE has helped artists unlock their potential for learning, performing, and creating in the arts.