Pelaya Arapakis
Melbourne,VIC
Summary
I am a multi-disciplinary early-career arts and cultural worker, musician and graduate student currently undertaking a Master of Arts degree specialising in Arts and Cultural Management. My work spans across live performance, arts writing, education and community engagement. I am deeply committed to social equity in the arts and have a passion for facilitating projects that centre LGBTQ+ and culturally diverse artists, histories and cultural production.
Overview
3
3
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Drum Educator
Merri Creek Primary School
01.2022 - Current
- Experience teaching a variety of different age-groups ranging from early primary school to secondary school
- Experience teaching students from culturally diverse backgrounds
- Experience teaching students from beginner to advanced skill levels
- The ability to tailor the delivery of theoretical material to a diverse cohort of students
- Experience in organising, managing and delivering live music concerts and events.
Freelance Musician - Drummer
- Current
- I have 12 years of experience playing and performing on the drum kit and have received a combination of institutional and non-institutional music education
- This has consisted of mentorships by renowned drummers, Tim Burnham and Darryn Faruggia
- I have completed VCE Music Performance specialising in drum kit and a breadth study stream in Music through the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
- I work as a live and recording session drummer and have collaborated, performed and recorded with many artists across the Australian music scene including Alexander Biggs, Merpire, Chitra, Hannah Blackburn, Taylah Carroll, Grand Pine, Benjamin Trillado, Jeane, Liv Cartledge, Connor-Black Harry, Leo and more
- I have also supported music acts such as Lisa Mitchell, Sons of the East, Alice Skye, Jen Cloher, Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird and Phoebe Go
- I have toured across Australia with a variety of music acts and have performed at notable live music venues such The Corner Hotel, Northcote Theatre, Howler, The Brunswick Ballroom, The Northcote Social Club and The Gasometer Hotel
- I have also performed at festivals such as Queenscliff Music Festival, Port Fairy Folk Festival, Grampians Music Festival, Meadow Festival, Brunswick Music Festival, Town Folk Festival, BIGSOUND and Fusion Multicultural Festival.
Drum Educator
Moving Into Music
11.2022 - 12.2023
- Experience conducting one-on-one lessons face-to-face and via Zoom
- Experience facilitating group lessons
- Experience in organising, managing and delivering live music concerts and events
- Experience teaching a variety of different age-groups ranging from early primary school to mature age students as well as students from culturally diverse backgrounds
- Experience teaching students from culturally diverse backgrounds.
Intern
Hellenic Museum
02.2023 - 05.2023
- I am currently undertaking a curatorial and public programming internship under the supervision of Curatorial and Programs Officer, Sara Prica, and Education Officer, Valentina Bydanova
- Developed a public program in the form of a tour for the exhibition, The Spirit of Byron
- This tour focused on the multiculturalism of Philhellenism
- Assisted in the delivery of workshops
- Experience with object handling, exhibition installation and de-instillation
- Exhibition development, curation and project management.
Intern
Sinister Wisdom
01.2023 - 04.2023
- I undertook an internship with Sinister Wisdom, a US-based intersectional lesbian arts and literary journal
- Writing featurettes and literary criticism pieces for Wild Shrew Literary Review
- Working with lesbian and queer archives by indexing issues of Feminist Bookstore News
- Long-term project: Guest editing an issue of Sinister Wisdom alongside co-editor Darla Tajeda
- This project is being undertaken with the support and mentorship of Joan Nestle, Yasmin Tambiah and Sinister Wisdom’s editor, Julie Enzser
- As the first Australian-focused issue, our project aims to platform culturally diverse lesbian and queer voices, carving out a space for these perspectives to fill the pages of an established publication
- We will be presenting this project as part of Emerging Writer’s Festival 2024 by hosting a digital panel featuring Dr Julie Enszer, poet and editor of Sinister Wisdom, Joan Nestle (Lesbian Herstory Archives) and Dr Yasmin Tambiah—both previous guest-editors and current board members of Sinister Wisdom.
Social Media Content Creator and Production Assistant
Small Time Group
02.2021 - 12.2021
- Created online content for Small Time Group – an organisation dedicated to supporting early-stage musicians to refine their craft and connect with industry members and stakeholders
- Experience in facilitating, directing and delivering live music and live-streamed music events at Small Time TV
- Experience using Adobe Photoshop.
Education
Master of Arts and Cultural Management -
The University of Melbourne
04.2024
Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours) -
The University of Melbourne
01.2019
Certification
Working with Children Check
Achievements And Awards
- Melbourne Graduate Access Bursary 2021
- Awarded the 2019 Gyles Turner Prize. This prize is awarded annually by the University of Melbourne’s School of Historical and Philosophical Studies for an undergraduate essay in Australian history
- Princes Hill Humanities Faculty Award 2015. This award is presented to one final-year student each year for excellence in the Humanities. The recipient is selected by consensus of the faculty staff as achieving at the highest level in two or more Humanities subjects
- Bilingual proficiency in Modern Greek
References
- Dr Kim Goodwin, Lecturer in Arts and Cultural Management at the University of Melbourne, kim.goodwin@unimelb.edu.au
- Valentina Bydanova, Hellenic Museum, Education Officer, 0425 795 547, valentina.bydanova@hellenic.org.au
Timeline
Intern
Hellenic Museum
02.2023 - 05.2023
Intern
Sinister Wisdom
01.2023 - 04.2023
Drum Educator
Moving Into Music
11.2022 - 12.2023
Drum Educator
Merri Creek Primary School
01.2022 - Current
Social Media Content Creator and Production Assistant
Small Time Group
02.2021 - 12.2021
Freelance Musician - Drummer
- Current
Master of Arts and Cultural Management -
The University of Melbourne
Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours) -
The University of Melbourne
Similar Profiles
Sandy MooreSandy Moore
Casual Relief Teacher at Merri Creek Primary SchoolCasual Relief Teacher at Merri Creek Primary School
IDOIA ARANZADIIDOIA ARANZADI
Spanish Language Assistant at Edgars Creek Secondary College and Edgar's Creek Primary SchoolSpanish Language Assistant at Edgars Creek Secondary College and Edgar's Creek Primary School
CHENXING GUOCHENXING GUO
Digital Technology Workshop Facilitator at Clyde Creek Primary SchoolDigital Technology Workshop Facilitator at Clyde Creek Primary School
Ashina SethiAshina Sethi
Senior Test Analyst at United EnergySenior Test Analyst at United Energy
Subhajit SarmaSubhajit Sarma
Software Testing Specialist at Accenture AustraliaSoftware Testing Specialist at Accenture Australia