Completed her BA (Hons) at Monash University in 1972, majoring in ethnomusicology, and her PhD at Monash in 1981. Her doctoral research concerned the village music of West Java, Indonesia, in particular the bowed instrument, the tarawangsa, and the rice harvest ceremony with which it is associated. She worked for many years as a professional violinist. She has held the position of Senior Tutor in Ethnomusicology at the Melbourne College of Advanced Education in 1976, Head of the Music Department there in 1987 and Associate Head of the School of Visual and performing Arts Education at Melbourne University in 1992. She is currently a Senior lecturer in Ethnomusicology at the Faculty of Music, University of Melbourne.
She has conducted extensive field research in Indonesia as well as China and Tahiti. Her current research interests concern the music of migration in Australia: its maintenance, change, dissemination and reception. She has been involved as a consultant ethnomusicologist to the Festival of All Nations, Multicultural Arts Victoria, the Boite and the Victorian Ministry of the Arts.
One of her current research work is on the Hmong funeral rite, quab ke and quej tu siav. A full recorded version of the two texts has been completed with the musical recording of the quej tu siav with a complete English translation. She has published many articles on the Hmong (in Tirra Lirra and various Newspapers) including "The Hmong in Australia" ; "Hmong Funeral in Australia" and Music of the Hmong .
PH: 613 9 344 4718 (international) FAX: 613 9344 5346