About
Dr Andrew Killick is a Reader in Ethnomusicology at the University of Sheffield’s School of Languages, Arts and Societies, and Director of the MA in Traditional and World Music (distance learning). His research focuses on Korean traditional music, global notation systems, and world music analysis. He holds a BMus from the University of Edinburgh, an MA from the University of Hawaii, and a PhD from the University of Washington, with extensive fieldwork in Korea.
His work emphasizes holistic musicological approaches, including the development of Global Notation, a universal music transcription system. He has published widely on topics such as Korean musical theatre (Ch’angguk), Hwang Byungki’s compositions, and cross-cultural musical analysis. Killick has supervised over 20 PhD students, covering diverse topics from Nigerian popular music to Cretan flute adaptations.
Key research areas include ethnomusicological methodology, the interconnectedness of global musical traditions, and the role of notation in preserving cultural heritage. His recent projects explore how musical ideas spread through cultural contact and aim to challenge Eurocentric narratives in world music studies.
- Education:
- PhD in Music (Ethnomusicology), University of Washington, 1998
- MA in Music (Ethnomusicology), University of Hawaii, 1990
- BMus in Music, University of Edinburgh, 1984
- Professional Roles:
- Co-editor, Yearbook for Traditional Music (2007–2010)
- President, Association for Korean Music Research (2000–2002)
- Notable Publications:
- Hwang Byungki: Traditional Music and the Contemporary Composer (2013)
- In Search of Korean Traditional Opera: Discourses of Ch’angguk (2010)
- Co-author of Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, Vol. 7: East Asia (2002)
- Labs/Initiatives:
- Founder of Global Notation, a project promoting culturally inclusive music transcription
