Xinzi Zhang

Proposed Title

Music is an Expression and Continuation of Culture

Supervisors

Principal Supervisor: Associate Professor Jennifer Munday
Co-Supervisor: Dr Sarah Redshaw

Research

My PhD research explores how older Chinese migrant women in Australia experience piano learning in later life, and how this experience connects to their sense of cultural identity, belonging, and continuity with their culture of origin. This project builds on my completed Master of Philosophy research, which used semi-structured interviews with three older Chinese Australian women in the Whitehorse community, Victoria, to explore their piano learning journeys through a cultural perspective on well-being. My PhD extends this work by asking how piano learning helps women in this group build a sense of home between two cultures. As a piano teacher working across both Australia and China, I bring a practitioner’s understanding to this research alongside my academic training. My study sits at the intersection of music education, ethnomusicology, and migration studies, and uses qualitative methods including interviews and thematic analysis. I hope this research gives a stronger voice to older Chinese migrant women, a group whose experiences of music, culture, and belonging are still underexplored in Australian scholarship.

Why I chose Charles Sturt

I am a piano teacher who has taught across both Australia and China, and this work first drew me to questions about migration, culture and music. My Master of Philosophy research at CSU examined piano learning among older Chinese Australian women, supervised by Associate Professor Jennifer Munday. This PhD is a natural next step, deepening that work with the continued support of her and Dr Sarah Redshaw.

Publications

CRO

Vimeo

YouTube