“It was kind of abusive”: gender, power and inequity in Australian tertiary jazz education

Recent feminist research is identifying how the gendered power dynamics of creative industries are replicated within tertiary education programs. This article contributes to this scholarship by examining problematic aspects of jazz and improvisation at tertiary institutions in Australia. It presents a close reading of interviews in which four jazz musicians – of whom three identify as female and one as trans – reflect on their tertiary education experiences. Extending Amia Srinivasan’s concept of gendered ‘pedagogical failures’ beyond consensual sexual relationships to also take in gendered microaggressions, our analysis focuses on how the actions of predominantly male teaching staff negatively impact the wellbeing of female and gender minority students. Our identification of the gendered harms arising from the intersection of academia and jazz in this localised setting allows us to articulate cultural and structural measures institutions can take to foster student wellbeing.