Dr Javier Rivas is an anthropologist, educator, and cultural manager whose research focuses on the politics of sound and listening. His work combines ethnographic and archival methods to examine how listening is practiced across politics, business, education, and culture. He is particularly interested in what makes listening a unique form of communication, and in its potential to help individuals, communities, and governments negotiate and de-escalate conflict.

He teaches critical theory, cultural management, and contemporary music and sound studies at King’s College London. He is also a Visiting Lecturer and Researcher at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC).

He received his PhD in Music, Anthropology, and Education from King's College London, where his AHRC-funded research examined the diverse practices and discourses of listening within Catalan higher music education and sound studies.

His work has appeared in the International Journal of Community Music and Ethnomusicology Forum. His research has been supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the Spanish Ministry of Education, the British Forum for Ethnomusicology (BFE), and the Society for Education, Music, and Psychology Research (SEMPRE).

Research interests and PhD supervision

• Sound Studies
• Music Education and Community Music
• Cultural Management
• Institutional Ethnography
• Music of Spain and Catalonia

Teaching

Javier teaches a range of courses in critical theory, cultural management, and contemporary music and sound studies. He has also taught and delivered guest lectures on undergraduate and postgraduate modules covering music from 1800 to the present, ethnographic methods, and sound studies at King's College London, University College London, and the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC).

In 2025, he was awarded Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA). He received the Seminar Leader of the Year Award in 2026 and was also nominated for a 2026 King's Education Award.

Expertise and public engagement

Javier Rivas is committed to widening access to education and the arts. At King's College London, he leads the award-winning King's Music Academy, where he mentors and manages a team of teachers delivering high-quality music tuition in South London state schools. Together with Dr Esther Cavett, he has co-authored two articles examining the lived experiences and learning processes of pupils, teachers, and student involved in the Academy.In addition, he manages the national charity Water City Music and serves as a trustee of the Lucille Graham Trust, supporting arts and music organisations across London.Javier is Conference Secretary of the Society for Education, Music and Psychology Research (SEMPRE) and currently chairs the organisation of the SEMPRE 2027 at KCL.

Selected publications

• Rivas, Javier and Cavett, Esther. 2025. “’It’s like you’re an activist’: Sustainable Teaching Practices in a Music Outreach Project in London”, International Journal of Community Music, 17: 383–402, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1386/ijcm_00114_1
• Rivas, Javier, Sparey, Rhys, Davies, Jonathan, Gleason-Mercier, Caroline, Hughes, Sarah, Kights, Susannah, and Cavett, Esther. 2022. “Voices from Southwark: Reflections on a collaborative music teaching project in London in the age of COVID-19”, International Journal of Community Music 14: 169-189, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1386/ijcm_00043_1
• Rivas, Javier. 2021. “A view from below: Some thoughts on musicology and EDI work as acts of care”, Ethnomusicology Forum, 30(1): 63-81, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17411912.2021.1938624
• Rivas, Javier. 2020. “Música, Cine y Memoria: Buenaventura Durruti, anarquista, y la movilización de la tradición” [“Music, Film, and Memory: Buenaventura Durruti, anarquista, and the Mobilization of Tradition”]. In Del Cine Mudo a los Videjuegos. La Creación Sonora en el Audiovisual [From Silent Cinema to Videogames: Sound Design in Audiovisual Media] edited by Jordi Roquer, Daniel Torras and Lidia López. Alicante: Investigación y Publicación I+P.