mcpherson has taught and lectured music students at primary, secondary, tertiary and graduate levels in music education, instrumental pedagogy, musicianship and musicology and served as a full-time professor at universities in australia, hong kong and the united states. he has headed music and creative arts departments at several tertiary institutions, and held an honorary professorship in the department of cultural and creative arts, hong kong institute of education from 2009 to 2013. since his appointment as director of the melbourne conservatorium in 2009, he has promoted the mcm as a centre of cross-disciplinary research. he has played a key role in the development of the "music, mind and wellbeing" initiative; an ongoing collaboration between the mcm and the melbourne school of psychological sciences.