Keith Phillips

Dr Keith Phillips is a Lecturer in Music and music psychology researcher at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM). His research focuses on creativity in specialist arts higher education, musicians’ health education, perceptual and cognitive processes in instrumental performance, and work‑based learning in music education. His publications span creativity training, entrepreneurship education in the creative industries, musicians’ health, perceptual judgement in guitar performance and improvisation. Keith has presented at and helped to organise international conferences including ESCOM, ICMPC‑ESCOM, and CIM22, and has contributed to research projects exploring creativity development, work‑based learning, and musicians’ wellbeing. Keith has taught broadly across multiple topics at undergraduate and postgraduate level, including being module coordinator for RNCM’s Research Methods in Music Psychology postgraduate course and has collaborated in convening and facilitating multidisciplinary workshops on critical thinking and health literacy. Keith was part of the core research team for the ‘StART Entrepreneurship Project’, funded by a grant of £902,153 from the Office for Students and Research England, which explored training for creative industries graduates, and led to the RNCM being named Times Higher Education Outstanding Entrepreneurial University 2023.