New Directions in Music Education Conference

If you've been thinking about a Ph.D. in music education, or you know someone who's applying, take a look at MSU!

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS EXTENDED TO SEPTEMBER 25, 2022!
Were you hoping to submit but life got away from you? Don't worry! We extended the deadline. Submissions are looking amazing, hope you will join us even if you can't submit! The call is here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JI6CLCuRW8nU58Jofvwy4n66AkMCrXjZ/view?usp=sharing

Just a reminder to propose your sessions for New Directions 2023! The deadline is September 15, and the call is here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JI6CLCuRW8nU58Jofvwy4n66AkMCrXjZ/view?usp=sharing

Edit: Just a note to all who have signed that we have updated the document to include consideration of visa restrictions after receiving a suggestion. You can see the additional text in the fourth bullet point.

A number of us in music education believe that conferences need to become more accessible and equitable. We have crafted a position statement to that effect. Please see the statement here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oGviY5NHLeOPfH-IhfNDhByKOcM47UUDf3gbfXstDPI/edit.

We are collecting signatures for this initiative. Please sign here if you would like to support it: https://bit.ly/3AhpJLA

Thank you!

Position Statement on Conferences Signature If you would like to sign your name in support of if the Conference Position Document, please fill out the following:

We just emailed out a reminder that proposals for New Directions 2023 (February 23-25) are due September 15!

The theme is play in music education across the lifespan.

The call for papers is here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hHEMvPYSfnzPzQhpc2E79-wnwP96Nd3d/view?usp=sharing

Look forward to seeing you there!

New Directions 2023 CFP Final.pdf

Join us!

We are two weeks out from the 2020 New Directions conference! It's shaping up to be an amazing program, with over 45 sessions, a keynote from historian/author Jack Schneider, panel discussions with lawmakers, teachers, and teacher educators, and a Friday evening performance of "Betsy DeVos: The Musical" with the creator, Quinn Strassel! Register here:

2020 About the 2020 Conference Embracing Agency and Activism: Policy and the Future of Music Education February 27-29, 2020 at Michigan State University Registration: Please click HERE to register for the 2020 New Directions Conference. Please register by January 31, 2020. Travel: There are several optio...

Hello,
This is a reminder to please make your hotel reservations for the New Directions conference. The conference hotel is the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, which is also the location of all conference sessions. Please make your room reservations directly by calling the hotel at 800-875-5090 or online here: https://kelloggcenter.com. Use the room block code 2002NEWDIR. The block of rooms will be released on January 31, 2020, so act fast!
Sincerely,
Ryan Shaw
2020 New Directions Conference Chair
[email protected]

Kellogg Center Home Page | Kellogg Center

Tentative Schedule for the 2020 New Directions Conference posted this morning!

2020 About the 2020 Conference Embracing Agency and Activism: Policy and the Future of Music Education February 27-29, 2020 at Michigan State University Registration: Please click HERE to register for the 2020 New Directions Conference. Please register by January 31, 2020. Travel: There are several optio...

Good morning! We are extending our deadline for conference submissions until Friday, October 18 to give more time during this busy time of the year. Please see the call for submissions here:

2020 About the 2020 Conference Embracing Agency and Activism: Policy and the Future of Music Education February 27-29, 2020 at Michigan State University Call for Papers The word “policy” can seem dry and technical, conjuring notions of quasi-official and impenetrable prose created by bureaucracy for ...

The theme of the 2020 New Directions conference is policy, and while you may feel you don't "do policy," we disagree! Almost all music education research topics--from curriculum, to social justice, equity and inclusion, school accountability, and more--have important policy implications.

Proposals are due in one week (October 1).

Information can be found here: https://www.newdirectionsmsu.org/conference/2020/

We hope to see you in February!

2020 About the 2020 Conference Embracing Agency and Activism: Policy and the Future of Music Education February 27-29, 2020 at Michigan State University Call for Papers The word “policy” can seem dry and technical, conjuring notions of quasi-official and impenetrable prose created by bureaucracy for ...

Embracing Agency and Activism: Policy and the Future of Music Education

February 27-29, 2020 at Michigan State University

Call for Papers

The word “policy” can seem dry and technical, conjuring notions of quasi-official and impenetrable prose created by bureaucracy for the sake of bureaucracy. Policy scholarship has also been used to study “problems” in schools without much regard for or mention of the people therein. Especially in the recent era of educational reform, policies are often weapons—used to close “failing” schools, to exclude teachers from the profession, to silence democracy, to privatize and commodify, and to work against aims of social justice and equity.

But policy is more than this. Sociologist Stephen Ball noted that policy is both text and discourse and involves tension between agency and constraint. Viewed this way, policy is in everything related to education. Curriculum—both explicit and hidden—is policy. Mentoring, professional development, annual teacher performance evaluations, and school funding may all be evaluated as policy.

Additionally, the making of policy is a negotiated enterprise. Music educators are policy brokers, acting as street-level bureaucrats in interpreting directives. Parents and community members coalesce around policy positions.

It is in this spirit that we hold a conference to discuss what policy means for music education. The 2020 New Directions conference seeks to broaden and humanize policy for students, teachers, and communities. We invite submissions from across the spectrum of inquiry on pressing questions, including but not limited to:

• How does music education fit into the broader landscape of schools and educational policy?
• What policies and policy-makers are impacting music education?
• How can music educators have agency in the policy development and implementation
processes?
• How can policy support goals around educational equity, justice, and activism?
• What should the future of music education be and how do policies support or hinder this?

Submissions may include, but are not limited to:

• Paper presentations: Individual paper presentations will be organized into
sessions, related by topic area and assigned a discussant. (20 min.)
• Panels: Panels may be pre-constituted and include 3-4 individuals including a
moderator, plus a possible discussant. (40 min.)
• Poster: Posters will display on-going research, service, advocacy, or activist
projects.
• Workshop: A facilitated activity involving 1 or more presenters. (50 min.)
• Facilitated Discussion: Discussion with a set topic and a moderator. (50 min.)
• Musicking: Musicking experiences/facilitations/performances that address the
conference theme through a range of media. Submissions could include audio or
video recordings if appropriate.
Participants are encouraged to propose alternative presentation formats to those
mentioned above.

Please submit an abstract of no more than 250 words to:

"[email protected]"

by October 1, 2019. Panel proposals require an abstract describing both the panel and the individual papers. For discussions, describe how the time will be utilized and the topic facilitated. Workshop presenters should address methodology, pedagogy, and desired learning outcomes in their submission. Musicking proposals must connect their work to the conference theme and briefly describe the optimal setting for their work. Conference notifications will be sent out by mid-November 2019.

Papers will be selected through anonymous peer review by the New Directions Editorial Board.

Please observe the following procedures to enable the review process:

1. Attach a short biographical note of 50 words on a separate page.
2. Please include your name, institution, abstract, title of session, list of participants
(if applicable), and e-mail address with your submission.
3. DO NOT include your name on the same page as the abstract.
4. Type “New Directions 2020 Abstract” in the subject line of your email.

All are welcome! Information on accessibility and accommodations is available. Please contact Ryan Shaw at [email protected].

For further information, please contact the music education faculty at Michigan State University.

Mitchell Robinson ([email protected])
Sandra Snow ([email protected])
Juliet Hess ([email protected])
Karen Salvador ([email protected])
Ryan Shaw ([email protected]) – Conference Coordinator

We look forward to seeing you in East Lansing, MI in February 2020!