The International Society for Music Education (ISME) is a

professional organization A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) usually seeks to further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that profession, and the ...

of persons involved with

music education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do origina ...

. It was founded in Brussels in 1953 during the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

-sponsored conference on "The Role and Place of Music in the Education of Youth and Adults". ISME's mission is to build a worldwide network of music educators, to advocate music education globally and across the lifespan, and to foster intercultural understanding and cooperation.

Activities

ISME holds conferences every two years in a different part of the world and include workshops, paper presentations, keynote addresses, symposia, and performances. In addition, ISME supports regional conferences in Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Americas, and has a range of specialist interest groups to nurture particular areas of music education. These specialist groups include seven long-established commissions that are focused on: research; community music activity;

early childhood music education Music education for young children is an educational program introducing children in a playful manner to singing, speech, music, motion and organology. It is a subarea of music education. Benefits There are many benefits that music provides f ...

; education of the

professional musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...

; policy: culture, education and media; music in schools and teacher education; and music in

special education Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...

music therapy Music therapy, an allied health profession, "is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music th ...

and music medicine. Each commission holds a biennial seminar, usually immediately prior to the main conference. In addition, the world conference includes a forum for instrumental and vocal teachers. The society is present in over 90 countries and in December 2020 there were nearly 2,500 ISME individual members. International partner and affiliate organisations increase ISME's reach to around 100,000 music educators globals. ISME's main sponsors are the

NAMM Foundation The NAMM Show is an annual event in the United States that is organized by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), who describe it as "the industry’s largest stage, uniting the global music, sound and entertainment technology commun ...

Publications

The ''

International Journal of Music Education ''International Journal of Music Education'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering the field of music education. The editors-in-chief are Jane Southcott (Monash University), S. Alex Ruthmann (New York University). It was establi ...

'' is the official journal of the ISME and is published four times a year by

SAGE Publications SAGE Publishing, formerly SAGE Publications, is an American independent publishing company founded in 1965 in New York by Sara Miller McCune and now based in Newbury Park, California. It publishes more than 1,000 journals, more than 800 books ...

. ISME also produce a series of academic books through Routledge Publishing each year.

Co-ordination and advisory work

The ISME International Office co-ordinates all communication related to the work of the society. ISME acts in an advisory capacity to

and is a member of and closely affiliated to the

International Music Council The International Music Council (IMC) was created in 1949 as UNESCO's advisory body on matters of music. It is based at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris, France, where it functions as an independent international non-governmental organization. Its p ...

References

External links

*
ISME Archives
– Special Collections in Performing Arts at the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

Edmund Cykler Collection of International Music Education Resources
at the

University of Maryland Libraries The University of Maryland Libraries is the largest university library in the Washington, D.C. - Baltimore area. The university's library system includes eight libraries: six are located on the College Park campus, while the Severn Library, an of ...

{{Authority control Music education organizations International cultural organizations Organizations established in 1953 Music organisations based in Australia