Dr Gillian Howell is a Dean’s Research Fellow at the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, University of Melbourne, where she investigates the contributions of community and participatory arts to peace, reconciliation and cultural development. Her current work explores the varieties of peace that community-based music-making can foster, and the post-schooling pathways of young musicians in Afghanistan. She is the co-chair of the Community Music Commission for the International Society for Music Education, has been a keynote speaker and visiting scholar internationally and in Australia, and was awarded the 2020 Australian Art Music Award for Regional Excellence for her ongoing community music residency in Fitzroy Crossing WA with Tura New Music.