Arsalan Pareyal
Education
- M.A. in Ethnomusicology, Memorial University, St. John’s, Canada (2025) — Thesis: The Legacy of Colonialism: Music Education Dynamics in Karachi, Pakistan
- M.A. in International Relations, University of Karachi (2019) — Thesis: Culture, Music, Education and Soft Power in International Relations and its Presence in Pakistan
- B.A. in Political Science, Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University, Karachi (2017)
- Diploma in Music (Major: Jazz Guitar), National Academy of Performing Arts, Karachi (2014)
Research Interests
- Music in South Asia; post-colonial institutionalization of music education; revivalism; intangible cultural heritage and cultural rights; soundscapes of Karachi; Cambridge (IGCSE) music curriculum; similarities between Raga-based and jazz music.
Biography
Arsalan Muhammad Pareyal has been Assistant Professor of Practice and Faculty Director for the Center for South Asian Music (CSAM) at Habib University since 2024. He holds a diploma in Jazz Guitar from the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA), an M.A. in International Relations from the University of Karachi examining music and soft power, and a recently completed M.A. in Ethnomusicology from Memorial University, Canada, researching the legacy of colonialism in Karachi’s music education.
He was Faculty at NAPA teaching Jazz Guitar, Music Appreciation, and Jazz Theory and Improvisation from freshman through fourth year (2014-2022), and later served as the institution’s Academic Coordinator (2023-2025), developing curriculum for its four-year bachelor’s programs and a new music teacher training program. He has held overlapping teaching and coordination roles across Karachi’s music education institutions, including Music Coordinator at Veritas Learning Center (2023-2024) and Music Teacher at The Cedar College (2020-2024), both developing the Cambridge (IGCSE) music curriculum from grades 1-8, and Visiting Faculty at the Institute of Business Administration (2021-2022), developing and teaching a music appreciation course for Media Studies. Earlier, he was a J1 Research Scholar at the Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music, University of Texas at Austin (2014-2018), developing curricula for jazz theory, improvisation, and composition, performing with the international ensemble “Sangat,” and formulating partnerships between US and Pakistani academics and musicians.
Pareyal has led major USAID- and USEFP-funded music education projects in Pakistan, including Sangeet Sangum (2019-2021), Pakistan’s first music education conference, and Azm-e-Naujawan (2017-2018), developing music curricula and teacher training for local schools. He founded The Karachi Jazz Band (2017-present) and has performed internationally, including at SXSW with the fusion ensemble Sangat.
Selected Publications
- Pareyal, A. (in press). “The Impact of Post-Colonialism on Music Education in Pakistan.” In Music Education in South Asia: Context and Practice, eds. A. de Quadros and S. Oberoi. Routledge.
Selected Presentations & Workshops
- “Decolonizing Music Education in Karachi, Pakistan: An Activist Approach,” 2025
- Newfound Music Festival XXIII, 2023
- Sangeet Sangum, Pakistan’s first music education conference, 2022
- “Music Education in Pakistan,” Sarah & Ernest Butler School of Music, UT Austin, 2017
- “Experience Qawwali Music of Pakistan,” South Asia Institute, UT Austin, 2016
Honors & Awards
- Dr. Beverly Diamond Award, Memorial University, St. John’s, Canada, 2025
- ISME Sponsored Delegate Award, International Society for Music Education Annual Conference, Helsinki, Finland, 2024
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