Position Title
Teaching Assistant Consultant
I’m Mariana Da Silva Gabriel (she/her), a PhD student in Musicology at UC Davis. My research looks at how music and politics intersect under authoritarian regimes -how it can be used by those in power, and how people have used music-making as a form of resistance. I am originally from Portugal, but grew up in the United Kingdom, where I earned my bachelor’s degree from Cardiff University and my master’s from the University of Oxford.
Before moving to California, I worked as a music teacher with students of all ages (from toddlers discovering their first notes to adults picking up a new hobby). Those experiences really shaped my passion for making education accessible, fun, and inclusive, and I love finding ways to connect material to students’ own lives and interests.
Outside of research, teaching, and writing, you can usually find me singing along to Beyoncé, going to coffee shops, finding new places to eat or hanging out with my rescue pup Mac!