Dr. Rhoda Bernard Earns Fulbright Specialist Award to Dublin City University

Dr. Rhoda Bernard Earns Fulbright Specialist Award to Dublin City University The leader of Berklee's Institute for Accessible Arts Education, Dr. Bernard will engage with university students, faculty, and administrators on accessible music education.

By

Daniel Pesquera

January 30, 2025

Dr. Rhoda Bernard, founder and managing director of the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education (BIAAE), has received a Fulbright Specialist Award at the Institute of Education at Dublin City University in Ireland. Starting in March, Dr. Bernard will engage in a three-week 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 proposed project Building Expertise Toward Socially Inclusive Music Education.

Dr. Bernard is one of 400 US citizens selected to share their expertise through the Fulbright Specialist Program this year. Through open presentations, interactive workshops, and personal consultations, she 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.

I am grateful for this opportunity to share accessible arts education pedagogy and practices with colleagues at Dublin City University, said Dr. Bernard, who was honored with the Irene Buck Service to Arts Education Award in 2023. I look forward to my time in Ireland, when I will help my colleagues to make their university classes, programs, and events more accessible for all individuals, no matter how they learn best.

The Fulbright Specialist Program, part of the larger Fulbright Program, was established in 2001 by the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Recipients of the Fulbright Specialist Award are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, demonstrated leadership in their field, and their potential to foster long-term cooperation between institutions in the US and abroad.

We are very excited to welcome Dr. Rhoda Bernard as a key contributor to our proposed project Building Expertise Toward Socially Inclusive Music Education, said Regina Murphy, associate professor in the School of Arts Education and Movement at Dublin City Universitys Institute of 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. The institute was highlighted by PBS Newshour as part of the show's CANVAS series on art and health.

About Dublin City University

Dublin City University (DCU) is a leading innovative European university with a mission to transform lives and societies. DCU ranks as one of the world's top 400 universities, by Times Higher Education (THE), and is proud to be the no. 1 Young University in Ireland. The university is known for the transformative student experience it offers and is also recognized for its impact in addressing global challenges in collaboration with national and international stakeholders.

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