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Kerilie McDowall

Jazz guitarist, Polaris Music Prize juror, Former DownBeat contributor, 12x Award-winning 10x nominated short TV movie Director, Short Filmmaker, former Rhythm'a'ning jazz radio host.

About Me

Kerilie McDowall, a jazz guitarist/composer, and 13x international award-winning jazz Filmmaker is a past TV Director and a jazz radio producer/host (17 years). Altogether she has won 16 awards in music, film, jazz guitar/composition with six from the USA. (https://filmfreeway.com/KerilieMcDowall)

McDowall is a York University music graduate, and a film/guitar/musician/writer coach/instructor and is a Polaris Music Prize juror and DownBeat Critics Poll judge. She is the winner of Nanaimo's 2024 WIN Women of Influence Creative Innovator Award for her film, In the Zone Rick Kilburn, and is the writer of the In the Zen blog.

Kerilie McDowall is additionally a freelance and a national music writer. She is the owner of Canadian Online Guitar Lessons & Creative Services, and as a past publicist is a recording musician’s self-empowerment Canadian music industry instructor and coach. She also enjoys teaching and mentoring guitarists.

McDowall was a DownBeat music writer contributor monthly until the 2020 pandemic. She was a jazz bandleader-guitarist and composer for over a decade (1989-2000) in Vancouver. McDowall's jazz, lifestyle, and arts blog, In the Zen, features jazz and creative interviews, lifestyle, gardening, and health news. McDowall is still judging as a DownBeat Critics Poll critic and Polaris Music Prize judge. She works with rising star and JUNO Award and Order of Canada-winning recording artists and aspiring young musicians.

McDowall's film In the Zone: Rick Kilburn reached 13 million hits in 2023, and was at 12.7 million hits in February 2024 and she ranked as #1 in Nanaimo on Alignable in 2024 as #39th in the contest for #1 Biz Person in North America ranking as the 20th overall woman on the popular business networking site with 8 million members.

What made McDowall's short jazz film unique was that it was designed for social media, YouTube, and TV simultaneously with royalty-free photos, artists with extra photos/films, music and live music shooting additionally thanks to the Kilburn estate.

McDowall has played music since age 4/5, performing professionally at age 16/17, and was a jazz guitarist- bandleader in Vancouver, BC, from 1989-2000, is a freelance writer (DownBeat 2016-20), All About Jazz since 2021, INSPIRED 55+ since 2018, and more. She began writing and illustrating intuitively at age 7/8, an experimenter for years, she started writing music more formally at age 13.

McDowall was a jazz radio host, producer and live engineer of the #1 Google-ranked (2013-15) Rhythm'a'ning from 1989-90, and 2000-2016.

McDowall enjoys assisting others and passing along knowledge. She is savvy in the areas of film and guitar, and events publicity/the press assisting non-profits and recording artists with savings and expertise. She enjoys assisting new film directors and filmmakers as a coach and instructor. She recently spoke to women at the Women's Spirit Festival about the Joy of Music & Improvisation and Positive Manifestation.

McDowall started as a professional guitarist 40 years ago and is still working as a Nanaimo guitar, film, and music industry instructor while serving nationally and internationally as a music judge.

A guitarist-jazz bandleader and instructor in Vancouver, BC for over a decade, Kerilie came to Vancouver Island in 2000. Her passions are music composing, teaching, organic gardening, and writing. For 24 years, McDowall has been tremendously inspired working with gifted students, creatives, and award-winning JUNO/Polaris musicians. She is proud of her students and the excellence that they have achieved. One of McDowall's recording artist coaching students was most recently nominated for a 2024 JUNO Award.

McDowall continues to enjoy passing along knowledge to emerging creatives, musicians, and new filmmakers and working within the music industry.