Jaco van der Merwe completed the BMus and Honours BMus degrees with distinction at the former Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education (now North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus), majoring in music theory and composition. He proceeded to Master’s degree studies at Youngstown State University (Youngstown, Ohio, USA), also in music theory and composition, which he completed with distinction.

After an initial appointment as concert organiser and part-time lecturer in the Department of Music, PU for CHE, he was promoted in 1995 to lecturer and later senior lecturer in the same department, teaching various modules in acoustics, music technology, Western classical music, contemporary music and jazz/popular music.

At the beginning of 2003, he was appointed as chairman of the School of Music, and in 2004 became the first director of the School of Music, serving a six-year term until December 2009. After a brief return to teaching, he was appointed for a second term as director from October 2012 to September 2016.

Since 2017, he has been teaching a broad range of undergraduate and honours modules in musicology, with special interest in vocal drama, progressive rock, Radiohead, popular musicology, and the career of the 21st-century musician. He served as programme manager for the BA Music & Society and Honours BA Music programmes for two terms from 2019 to 2024.

Jaco created the (then) Department of Music’s website in 1999 and has been managing and developing the School of Music’s internet presence ever since, adding new channels (blog, e-store, social media) as it became available.

[2024-07-12]