DrWesley Watkins

Wesley J. Watkins, IV, Ph.D., D.Litt., is the Founder of The Jazz & Democracy Project® (J&D), a music integrated curriculum that utilises jazz as a metaphor to bring democratic ideals to life. For nearly 20 years “Dr. Wes,” as his students call him, has been teaching learners of all ages, from elementary and secondary level schools to colleges and universities. In addition, he now trains other educators in the use of J&D proprietary materials and pedagogy, and he is available to conduct workshops in the corporate sector, helping project teams and entire organisations alike achieve the crucial balance displayed by the best jazz ensembles: individual freedom of creative expression in service to the greater good.

Dr. Wes designed the J&D concept, curriculum, and course materials for both students and teachers. He has facilitated program delivery in the San Francisco Bay Area, throughout the United States, and internationally with U.S. Embassies in Chile, The Gambia, Liberia, Haiti, Guatemala and Brazil. He is adept at delivering both on-line and in-person workshops with learners of all ages as well as professional development with educators. In addition, he conducted, edited, transcribed and organised interviews with over 40 jazz masters to create the J&D uStudio podcast platform.

His latest endeavours include "The D'Angelo Lectures," an offshoot of The Jazz & Democracy Project® and a 6.5 hour audio documentary, Remember The Sound: On the Feeling of D'Angelo, that connects the music of the late American soul artist to the same Black American Music tradition that birthed gospel, blues and jazz. And, building on his extensive experience collecting oral histories for J&D, Dr. Wes is now a Postgraduate Research Associate at The Sydney Conservatorium of Music working with an ARC Discovery Projects Grant research team.