Dr Naomi Barker

Professional biography

Naomi Barker is a musicologist specialising in late-sixteenth and seventeenth century music. She joined the Open University music department on a part-time basis in 2012 after having been an Associate Lecturer since 2001. As an AL, she taught a number of undergraduate and postgraduate music modules including AA314, A214, A870, A871 and A877. She was appointed Senior Lecturer in 2019. Prior to her full-time appointment at the OU in 2014, she worked extensively in adult education and had part time lecturing positions at Durham University and Manchester University. In addition to academic work, she has been involved in music education at all levels, was manager of a local authority music service and led the Gateshead and South Tyneside Music Education Hub.

Naomi holds a B. Mus (hons) and M.Mus degrees from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.  After working as a professional flautist and teacher in Johannesburg for several years, she was awarded an overseas prestige scholarship which enabled her doctoral studies at Royal Holloway & Bedford New College, University of London. She continues to perform as a baroque flautist whenever possible. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA).

Research interests

Naomi Barker's research focuses on late sixteenth and seventeenth century Italian instrumental music, especially for keyboard, in relation to its contemporary theoretical frameworks, cultural contexts and performance practices. She is particularly interested in the interdisciplinarity of music, art, religion and science. Her most research focuses on music at the Hospital of Santo Spirito in Sassia, Rome and addresses issues relating to musical practice, medicine and religion in that institution. Her book 'Music, Medicine and Religion at the Hospital of Santo Spirito in Sassia, 1550-1750' was released in February 2024. Naomi's new project focuses on the extensive music libary of Santo Spirito in Sassia that includes over 500 manuscripts dating from the 1550s to the 1750s. Articles on the musical architecture of the hospital and on newly discovered music by Paolo Papini are currently in preparation. 

Naomi welcomes applications from potential PhD students with interests in late sixteenth- and seventeenth-century music, including those who wish to be jointly supervised in another discipline through the Medieval and Early Modern Research group. http://www.open.ac.uk/arts/research/medieval-and-early-modern-research/

Teaching interests

Alongside duties as Head of Discipline for Music, Naomi Barker is currently on the module team producing the new MA in Music and the music department rep for the interdisciplinary level 1 module,  A111 'Discovering the arts and humanities' for which she was also the author of units on the Blues and Protest Music in South Africa.  She is also the author of a unit in A113, 'Revolutions'; two units in the level 2 music module A234 'Understanding music' and is co-author of several units in A890 (part 1 of the MA in Music) and author of a unit in A891 (part 2 of the MA). 

She is committed to open access learning and has co-written a MOOC called 'From notation to performance: Understanding musical scores' which is also available on OpenLearn http://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/understanding-musical-scores/content-section-overview?active-tab=description-tab. She was involved in an ERASMUS funded project to create open access resources on conducting including a MOOC on conducting which is now available worldwide at www.conductit.eu 

Impact and engagement

Naomi has given talks about her research in diverse places from the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia, Rome to the Newcastle Literary and Philosophical Society, and is alwas happy to talk about her work.  She has also given pre-concert talks for the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and continues to support music education in schools and the development of resources for schools by members of the music department.