The International Centre for Music Studies (ICMuS) at Newcastle University, in collaboration with the National Association for Music in Higher Education (NAMHE), announces a one-day conference focusing on progression routes for students transitioning from secondary to tertiary music education. This event will take place on January 25th 2018 at Newcastle University.

The conference will feature two keynote addresses:

John Finney (formerly Senior Lecturer in Education (Music) at Cambridge University and author of the renowned Music Education Now blog.
https://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/people/staff/finney/
https://jfin107.wordpress.com)

Graham Welch Chair of Music Education at University College London, author of numerous (350+) publications on diverse aspects of Music Education, elected Chair of Society for Education, Music and Psychology Research (SEMPRE), the first UK president of the International Society for Music Education (ISME, 2008-2014). http://www.imerc.org/people/2-gfw  http://ioe.academia.edu/GrahamWelch).

The International Centre for Music Studies at Newcastle University welcomes participants who share our interest in the evolving progression routes between secondary and tertiary music education. This one-day event will encourage consideration and debate on issues surrounding altered progression routes for students of music as a result of factors such as the introduction of the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) in addition to other factors affecting students’ decision-making and opportunities in relation to progressing from secondary music education into studying music at Higher Education.

In addition to the keynote addresses, the day will include panel discussions, with contributions from representatives drawn from a wide cross-section of the music education field, alongside opportunities for dialogue and debate. We hope to encourage a debate (including world café table discussions) with all delegates that focuses upon both the challenges and future possibilities for collective action for music and its utility in HE.

The event is free and refreshments will be provided but as space will be limited, early booking is advised. Please book via http://webstore.ncl.ac.uk/conferences-and-events/-conferences-events/faculty-of-humanities-social-sciences-hass/arts-cultures/music-transitions-and-futures

We invite proposals for short presentations on current research and/or experience in the field that relates to issues of transition between secondary and tertiary music education. Presentations should be 15 minutes in length (with an additional 5 minutes for questions). Abstracts of no more than 200 words should be submitted to Dr Julia Partington j.s.partington@ncl.ac.uk by December 8th 2017.

We welcome proposals from colleagues teaching at secondary level (Music teachers, Head Teachers etc.), those working within Music Education Hubs or as freelance music educators as well as from researchers from across music education, musicology, ethnomusicology, music psychology and cognate disciplines.

For more information, please contact Dr Julia Partington j.s.partington@ncl.ac.uk.