ISME World Conference

The ISME World Conference is an international music education conference organized by the International Society for Music Education (ISME) and held biennially. It brings together music teachers, researchers, university faculty, graduate students, and music education practitioners from around the world to exchange research, teaching practices, and professional perspectives across areas including school music education, teacher education, community music, instrumental and vocal teaching, early childhood music education, and related fields. As ISME’s flagship international conference, it provides a platform for dialogue across different countries, cultures, and educational systems.

For current music education students, recent graduates, and early-career teachers and researchers, one of the principal strengths of the ISME World Conference is its international and cross-cultural perspective. Participants can encounter research and teaching practices from a wide range of countries and educational systems, gaining a broader understanding of current issues, emerging directions, and diverse approaches to music education.

The conference also connects research with educational practice, allowing participants to engage with work in music education research, classroom teaching, teacher education, and other areas of professional practice. For those considering graduate study, research careers, or greater international engagement, ISME also provides opportunities to meet educators, researchers, and teacher educators from around the world and to develop an international professional network. ISME reports that its World Conference typically attracts approximately 1,500–2,000 participants from more than 60 countries.

The ISME World Conference offers multiple formats for presenting research, teaching practices, and professional work. Specific formats may change from one conference to another; recent submission categories have included Papers, Posters, Symposia, and Workshops, providing different ways to share research, educational practice, and professional projects. Graduate students and early-career music educators may therefore consider submission opportunities for both the World Conference and the relevant Commission Pre-Conference Seminar, depending on their research or teaching focus. Specific submission formats, membership requirements, eligibility criteria, and deadlines should be confirmed through the current Call for Submissions or Call for Papers.

Undergraduate and graduate students in music education; Master’s, PhD, and DMA students; school music teachers; university music education faculty and researchers; teacher educators; community music practitioners; and professionals interested in international perspectives on music education research, teaching, and professional practice.