Brief Profile: PhD candidate in music education (Saar College of Music) with a specific research focus on improvisation in classical Iranian music. Several years of experience in university teaching, interdisciplinary research, and as an academic advisor. Proven expertise in teaching global musical practices and a strong publication record in international journals.

Academic Background•
2018 – 2025 | Ph.D. in Music Education, Saar
College of Music• 2013 – 2016 | Master’s degree in Iranian Music, Tehran University of the Arts

Academic Positions and Research Activities•
2023 – 2024 | Research Assistant, Mozarteum University Salzburg, Innsbruck Department. Worked at the Institute for Music Education under the direction of Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Julia Wieneke.
• Since 2018 | Research Consultant, Saar College of Music; providing consultation on issues related to the Persian cultural sphere within the didactic development project “Music History Workshop” (Director: Prof. Dr. Matthias Handschick).

Publications

Peer-reviewed: Published or
accepted•Tavousi, D. (2026). Self-identified learning needs in style-bound musical improvisation: a qualitative, category-guided analysis for fostering self-directed action. Music Education Research, 1–22.https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2026.2621145 •
Tavousi, D. (Accepted). The Constitutive Role of the Recipient in Improvisational Co-Creation Processes: A Theoretical Exploration from Discourse-Analytical, Phenomenological, and Ontological Perspectives. Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education (ACT).
•Tavousi, D. (Accepted). Integrative Approaches in Improvisation Education: A Qualitative Study of Emotional, Social, and Reflective Learning Processes with a Focus on Iranian Music, Visions of Research in Music Education.
•Tavousi, D. (Accepted). Freedom through Structure: A Qualitative Study on the Didactic Design of Style-Based Improvisation Lessons, Research Studies in Music Education.
•Tavousi, D. (Accepted). Affective Self-Understanding and Self-Perception in Style-Bound Musical Improvisation, Music Performance Research.
• Tavousi, D. (2021). “Explicit and Implicit Rules for Modal Solo Improvisation in Iranian Music: A Comparative Analysis,” Journal of the Society for Music Theory 18/1, 101–126. https://doi.org/10.31751/1107

Submitted manuscripts under peer
review•Tavousi, D. Emotional Insecurities in the Learning Process of Musical Improvisation. Research & Issues in Music Education (RIME).
• Tavousi, D. From Exiting the Comfort Zone to Confronting and Overcoming Fears: A Qualitative Study on the Process of Emotional Self-Perception in Improvisational Music Education. Australian Journal of Music Education (AJME).
• Tavousi, D. Didactic Progression in Style-Based Improvisation: An Empirical Study on the Effects of Teaching Structure on Learning Processes – With Special Focus on Iranian Music Improvisation. Visions of Research in Music Education.
• Tavousi, D. Embodied Resonant Pedagogy: Nonverbal and Intuitive Mediation as an Implicit Approach to Teaching and Learning Improvisation, Music Education Research.