Dr Saul Richardson
Dr Saul Richardson PhD, B.Ed (Hons), MACE
Dr Saul Richardson is a jazz educator, guitarist, and bassist. He is co-founder and Principal of Jazz Workshop Australia, which he leads with co-director Michelle Shih. He is also conductor of the Sydney Youth Jazz Orchestra. He teaches guitar, electric bass, and jazz ensembles.
Dr Richardson holds a PhD from the University of Sydney. His doctoral research examined a fundamental question: what does it mean to be good at jazz, and how is this taught and learnt? Using Legitimation Code Theory as an analytical framework, the research identified a clear gap between common beliefs about jazz achievement, including the idea that it depends on innate talent, and the knowledge and skills that actually underpin strong performance.
The work has been cited in international academic publications and contributes to a growing body of research in jazz and music pedagogy.
He also holds a Bachelor of Education with First Class Honours from the University of Sydney, where he was awarded the University Medal in 1995 for his research into electric guitar in school music education. Dr Richardson studied jazz guitar with Steve Brien, Steve McKenna, and Dennis Keath, and conducting with Jerry Nowak. He has also lectured in jazz pedagogy at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
Jazz education
Dr Richardson has been teaching jazz since 1991 and has spent his career developing structured and practical approaches to jazz performance education, particularly for children and young people.
From 1991 to 2011, he established and led the jazz program at North Sydney Boys’ High School. The program became widely recognised within Australian school jazz education, and many students went on to professional careers as musicians and educators.
At Jazz Workshop Australia, Dr Richardson has developed a structured approach to teaching jazz improvisation across a wide range of ages and ability levels. He is the author of the JWA jazz performance levels syllabus and directs the jazz combos program and the annual Summer Jazz Camp.
He served as Australasian representative on the Executive Board of the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE), the forerunner of the current Jazz Education Network (JEN), and was a founding member of its NSW chapter. He has been recognised for his contributions to jazz education by the IAJE and the Merimbula Jazz Festival.
Dr Richardson has worked as a clinician, consultant, and adjudicator. His former students include award-winning and internationally performing musicians working across Australia and beyond. A selection can be found on the JWA alumni page.
As a performer
Dr Richardson co-leads the Kansas City swing band Snap, Crackle, and Bop, the guitar duo MiSa Jazz Sydney, and the jazz and progressive fusion projects Tarro’s Ladder and ESP Device.
He has performed throughout Australia, the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States, and has worked with leading Australian jazz artists including Don Burrows, John Morrison and the Swing City Big Band, Roger Frampton, Col Nolan, and Tony and Bob Barnard.
His international collaborations include Sherrie Maricle, Mike Tomaro, John Thomas, Gunnar Mossblad, Dennis Wilson, Lou Fischer, and Jeff Jarvis.
He has also directed a number of school and community big bands, including the NSW Department of Education and Training Arts Unit Stage Band, the SCEGGS Redlands Stage Band, and the Blue Riff and Powerhouse big bands.
Teaching Jazz
Dr Richardson writes and presents the YouTube channel Teaching Jazz, which explores jazz education, pedagogy, and performance for teachers, students, and interested listeners.
Memberships
Dr Richardson is a member of the Australian College of Educators (MACE), the Australian Society for Music Education (ASME), the Jazz Education Network (JEN), the Australian Band and Orchestra Directors Association (ABODA), and the National Association for Music Education (NAfME).
Outside music, he competes regularly in ultra-distance race walking events.