Catherine Birch

Catherine Birch is a Senior Lecturer in Community Music at York St John University, UK. Her work emphasizes trauma-informed practice, particularly through singing and songwriting, within prison-based initiatives like the Emerging Voices project. She supervises postgraduate research and teaches across undergraduate and MA Community Music programs.

Her PhD research, supervised by Prof. Lee Higgins at the International Centre for Community Music (ICCM), explores trauma-informed music practice as a tool for recovery. She collaborates internationally with institutions such as Columbia University and the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt.

Birch’s professional activities include research for the Ethno Research Company, focusing on the impact of Ethno Denmark’s programs. She has presented at symposiums in Italy, Germany, and the US, advocating for trauma-informed frameworks in community music.