UNESCO to name two internationally renowned opera singers as Goodwill Ambassadors

14 November 2012 – Two of the world's most acclaimed opera stars, the tenors Juan Diego Flórez and Placido Domingo, will be appointed Goodwill Ambassadors for the United Nations cultural agency, with the aim of helping spread its ideals through their advocacy.

According to a news release from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the appointment of the Peruvian bel canto tenor, Mr. Flórez, is in recognition of his "dedication to initiatives related to social inclusion and education, especially in his capacity as President of the foundation Sistema de Orquestas Infantiles y Juveniles del Perúand to the ideals and aims" of UNESCO.

The foundation supports the creation of children's and youth orchestras and choirs throughout Peru, in order help transform society through music, "reflecting the idea that orchestral and choral practice gives children and youth important values and helps preserve them from the dangers of drugs and crime," UNESCO stated.

The ceremony for Mr. Flores will be held on 16 November at UNESCO's headquarters in the French capital of Paris, with the President of Peru, Ollanta Humala Tasso, in attendance, in addition to UNESCO's Director-General, Irina Bokova, who will make the appointment.

Born in Lima in 1973, Mr. Flórez has gained an international reputation performing in the most prestigious opera houses around the world, mainly in works by composers such as Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini, according to UNESCO. Also, in frequent recitals and concert performances, he has included Peruvian and Latin American music.

The ceremony for Mr. Domingo's appointment will take place on 21 November, also at UNESCO's offices in Paris.

The agency stated that the 71-year-old Spanish tenor and conductor's appointment comes in recognition of his "exceptional artistic career, his inestimable support for young opera musicians through the Operalia competition, and his dedication to the values and ideals of UNESCO."

Founded by Mr. Domingo in 1993, Operalia, also known as the World Opera Competition, is an annual international competition which aims to discover and help launch the careers of the most promising young opera singers of today.

On the same evening as his appointment ceremony, a fundraising gala will be held for the UNESCO-backed Education for All programme, and Mr. Domingo will also present the latest winners of the Operalia competition as well as musicians involved in his development programme at the Washington Opera.

First launched in Thailand in 1990, the Education for All is an international initiative which aims to bring the benefits of education to 'every citizen in every society.' It involves a broad coalition of national governments, civil society groups and development agencies such as UNESCO, all committed to achieving six specific education goals:

According to UNESCO, its Goodwill Ambassadors are an "outstanding group of personalities" who have agreed to use their talent and status to help focus the world's attention on the work of the United Nations in education, science, culture and communication.

Little Kids Rock: Shelter from the storm

Many people are reeling in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. They are cold,their homes have been destroyed and their world has been turned upside down.  During difficult times like these, we especially appreciate the things that bring us together and that help us express our pain.
 
Music is one of those things.
 
That is what Jailine, one of our 12-year old students from New York City discovered after another natural disaster, the devastating Haiti earthquake of 2010. She wrote this uplifting song which remains as poignant today as it was on the day she wrote it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLdfkfaAQ6w
 
When times are tough, you can still play a guitar, write a song, and use the magic of music to help get you through.

Our own offices have just reopened in the wake of the storm. Please let us know if we can help you in any way and feel free to come by if you need a warm, friendly place to charge your phone or have a coffee. In the meantime, stay safe, stay dry, and rock on!

Little Kids Rock

Restoring and revitalizing music education in our schools!
www.littlekidsrock.org • facebook • youtube • twitter • blog

Gibson guitar becomes ISME 'Olympic Torch'

Gibson guitar becomes ISME 'Olympic Torch'

Saturday, October 20, 2012 at 7:25AM
MusicEducationUK in Global

As part of the 30th ISME World Conference on Music Education, which took place in Thessaloniki, Greece, last July, the International Society for Music Education (ISME) was presented with a silver Gibson Les Paul guitar at the ISME/Gibson International Awards for Music Education ceremony.

Sam Kidd playing the silver Gibson Les Paul guitar with 23 Fake Street, one of the bands that has grown from the 'School of Rock' project.

According to Lee Higgins, past ISME Director and Associate Professor of Music Education at the Boston University School of Music:

'Rather than the guitar being some sort of inanimate trophy, I proposed a project to Nina Miller, Executive Director of the Gibson Foundation, and Graham Welch, then President of ISME. The guitar would be put to work as a symbol for the ISME/Gibson Award. The proposed project was nicknamed the ISME 'Olympic Torch' as a metaphor for the instrument moving from one place to another. The general idea is that the guitar will become 'resident' in a small number of projects during the biennium 2012-2014.

'On 14 September, the guitar began its journey at a project named School of Rock in the Wirral on Merseyside. This project has three components. Firstly, the young people have lessons on instruments of their choice: guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, vocals etc. Using a mixture of professional and trainee tutors drawn from recipients of past projects, this provides formal instruction on instrument and vocal techniques. The tutors have to deal with a range of skills from beginners upwards and the individual lessons take place in rooms spread across a youth centre and a church hall. After six weeks of technique, everybody is divided up according to instrumentation and put into bands to rehearse as an ensemble the songs they have been learning in the individual lessons. Finally, the bands perform two gigs including one at the O2 in Liverpool. 

'The School of Rock project finishes in December 2012 so the instrument will then make its way to US where Joe Pignato's popular music class at the State University of New York will enjoy it. To record the journey, I have placed a 'moleskin' notebook inside the case so everybody who plays it can write a message. Over the two years, we should be able to capture many of the experiences people have had playing the instrument.'

Lee Higgins will give a report of the ISME 'Olympic Torch' project at the 31st ISME World Conference on Music Education which takes place in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 2014.

Article originally appeared on Music Education UK | The national music education hub (http://www.musiceducationuk.com/).

See website for complete article licensing information.

About OpenSoundS

About OpenSoundS

What is OpenSoundS?

OpenSoundS is a collaborative online environment, where students from across Europe can

• showcase their works on Music & Sound
• collaborate with their peers
• exchange knowledge and know-how
• learn about the latest tools in Music Technology and I.T.
• engage in constructive online dialogue
• learn about intellectual property, copyright and sharing
• learn how to manage and participate effectively in collaborative projects,
• and, also, have fun engaging in these activities.

The OpenSoundS platform ensures that this online experience is achieved within a secure, intuitive and accessible environment.

Who is behind OpenSoundS?

OpenSoundS is a collaborative European project, funded by the EC's Education and Culture Lifelong Learning Programme.

Partners of the OpenSoundS project are:

• Istituto tecnico Attilio Deffenu [visit]
• EarMaster [visit]
• DEI - Università di Padova [visit]
• MidiWare [visit]
• Nuvole [visit]
• Brightonart [visit]
• International Music Education Research Centre (iMERC) [visit]

Access and Registration

How do I access the online collaborative system?

The OpenSoundS collaborative platform is accessible at: live.opensounds.eu

How do I start?

Although you don't need an account in order to browse projects and listen to the available tracks, you can only have the full OpenSoundS experience if you have an online account. Please see below, depending on whether you are a teacher or student.

I am a teacher, how do I get involved?

During this testing phase, accounts can only be activated by a project partner. If you would like to be involved, please contact an OpenSoundS project partner (information about the OpenSoundS partners can be found here: http://www.opensounds.eu/partners). You can apply for an OpenSoundS account by visiting the OpenSoundS collaborative platform here: live.opensounds.eu, and selecting the create a new account linkat the very top right hand side. You will receive the necessary information from the OpenSounds system once your account has been activated.

I am a student, how do I get involved?

Make sure that your teachers know about OpenSoundS! Ask them to join (see above). Once they have joined, they will be able to create an account for you. You can apply for an OpenSoundS account by visiting the OpenSoundS collaborative platform here: live.opensounds.eu, and selecting the create a new account linkat the very top right hand side. You will receive the necessary information from the OpenSounds system once your account has been activated. The person that will be responsible for your account is likely to be your Head of Music, or Music Technology, but things could be different in your school. A member of the OpenSoundS team will let you know if there is a problem.

My parents are concerned about having accounts online. How safe is it to use OpenSoundS?

Open SoundS is a platform created and actively maintained by Professionals, Researchers and Academics with great experience, internationally, in virtual learning and online collaboration. Your work and activities are safeguarded at numerous levels. Student users are protected by 4 levels of scrutiny:

1. their peers
2. their teachers
3. the project partners
4. the OpenSoundS server administrators

OpenSoundS is a closed family (although a BIG family!!!). All family members are welcome to enjoy their online activities and sharing using a safe online platform and free of bullying, negativity, and non constructive criticism. It is essential that all OpenSoundS registered users treat their colleagues in a respectful and courteous manner. We operate a zero tolerance policy about abusive behaviour.

Project Area

I have an account, now what?

Congratulations! You are now able to post ideas, create projects, collaborate, discuss and communicate with all OpenSoundS users.

How do I log onto OpenSoundS?

• go to live.opensounds.eu
• click on Log in (top right)
• type in your username
• type in your password
• click on the Log in button at the bottom

How can I see the latest projects posted on OpenSoundS?

• click on the Latest Projects link, available on the left-hand side navigation panel
• a list of latest projects appears in the main window
• There, you can have a quick overview of
  • the project title,
  • the owner,
  • a brief description,
  • and information about the project activity...
• you can, of course, listen to the main project mp3 file!
• you can also use the fast OpenSoundS search engine and search by project title, tags and owner.

How can I browse all projects available on OpenSoundS?

• simply follow the link named Browse Projects under the Projects sub-menu on the left-hand side
• this will take you to the Projects page where the complete body of available projects can be found
• Don't forget to use the dynamic search boxes on the top if you are looking for something specific, you can search for project Title, project specific Tags and project Owner

An additional way to navigate through the numerous projects posted on OpenSoundS is to use the Projects List available under the Projects sub-menu.

Collaborative Area

What should I start with? An idea, or a project?

Normally, you should start with an idea on the OpenSoundS collaborative platform. The Ideas section is where you can describe your aspirations, find interesting musicians around Europe to collaborate with, discuss the different technologies that are likely to be needed once the idea develops into a fruitful project, discuss the level of experience/expertise, and describe your needs/requirements and thoughts about how you could have a successful project.

It is common for us musicians to want to go straight into playing our instrument and making music, but years of research and evidence from extremely successful past research projects demonstrate that the more careful your planning is, and the more detailed the information that you provide during the framing of your idea, the greater the success of your final project is going to be. Help other musicians work with you meaningfully and enjoyably. You will be rewarded!

What are OpenSoundS ideas?

An idea in OpenSoundS is what you can post when you are not yet ready to post your project. This is where you can:

• invite other's to a discussion about a future project
• invite expression of interest from other OpenSoundS users that might be willing to contribute to a future project
• request help from other instrument players (e.g. you are a guitarist that looks for a bass or drums player)
• discuss the possibility of a collaboration with other musicians and producers
• let the OpenSoundS community know about something that you are working on

How do I post an idea?

• First, you need to log onto your OpenSoundS account. Only logged on users can post on OpenSoundS (see above: How do I log onto OpenSoundS?)
• Under the Collaborate section of the left-hand side menu, select Create Idea
• The Create Idea page appears, where you can give your idea a title and
• Provide a summary (see above: what are OpenSoundS ideas)
• Describe the level of musical expertise that you expect from the project team, by choosing the drop-down list (basic, intermediate, advanced). If your particular idea is open for musicians and collaborators with various expertise, please choose the 'Not specified' option.
• Describe the level of software expertise that you expect from the project team by choosing the drop-down list (basic, intermediate, advanced). If your particular idea is open for musicians and collaborators with various software/technology expertise, please choose the 'Not specified' option.
• Describe the various software and/or technologies that you envisage using once your idea leads to a project. Try to be as specific as possible as this will help other people around the world to understand your needs and assess whether they could become part of the team.
• Select the type of Creative Commons License that the resulting work will become available under. This is a very important part of the idea (and the project that the idea will lead to). Understanding copyright and intellectual property is a key objective within the OpenSoundS collaborative system. You can find a very helpful tutorial about Creative Commons right onto the OpenSoundS portal. Please feel free to read it.
• Finally, you can upload any supporting material that you wish onto the platform, so that other people can form a better understanding about your idea, and asses how they could become part of your team. This could be anything that is related to you idea, like lyrics, chords, recordings, scribbles, diagrams, etc.
• Once you finished providing the above information, simply click on Save
• That's it! Your idea is now live and visible to your future team members!

How can I access Ideas on OpenSoundS?

Simply click on List of New Ideas under the Collaborate sub-menu on the left-hand side. There you will see all ideas that have been posted onto the OpenSoundS system, appearing in chronological order. Remember, you need to be logged onto OpenSoundS in order to post a response!

I am ready to create my own project. What should I do?

• First, you need to log onto your OpenSoundS account. Only logged on users can post on OpenSoundS (see above: How do I log onto OpenSoundS?)
• Upon successful login, click on the Create Project link, under the Collaborate sub-menu on the left-hand side
• the Create Project page appears
• first, give your project a title. This should be representative of your whole project (e.g. think of the title of a music album)
• second, add an mp3 file as you main media file. This has to be an mp3 file so that everybody can play it on whatever technology or system they are using (computer, telephone, tablet device, etc)
• third, select you team members! this is why it is always better to start with an idea (see above)! Here is where you invite other members of OpenSoundS to be part of your project!
• fourth, add a description of your project: this is a very important part of your project. Explain what your ideas are about, what your aspirations are, what your needs are, what tools you have or planning to use, as well as any other information that will help the OpenSoundS community understand more about your project. The more information you provide, the greater the chances that people will want to collaborate with you!!!
• fifth, if you have any additional composition elements that you want to post (e.g. individual tracks, sounds, effects, samples, loops, patches) you can post them into the composition elements section. Or, if you are using other people's work that is available in OpenSoundS, you can select them from the OpenSoundS file library. OpenSoundS supports a wide variety of file formats like wav, mp3, aif, aiff, ogg, wma, aac, flac, m4a, ape and others.
• sixth, upload any other files that are not main composition elements. These can be instrument patches, notes, schemas, scores, or any other file that will help the team make music and/or create new composition elements and tracks.
• seventh, provide keywords for your project and separate them with a comma (e.g. classical, violin, romantic). This is a very important part of your project. OpenSoundS hosts hundreds of projects and one of the easiest ways to navigate through those is to use appropriate keywords.
• eighth, select the licence under creative commons that you want to release your project (see more information below). Attribution: acknowledge the author; non-commercial: cannot be used for commercial purposes; share-alike: apply the same license to derived works.
• last, if your project has a constant beat, provide the Beats per Minute value (BPM). Classical tempi can be specified as TAGS eg. andante, presto, moderato, etc. Do not try to add these in the BPM box.
• All done... click on Save and your project is now ready and online!

What are OpenSoundS tags?

OpenSoundS tags are meaningful keywords/labels that describe what the different projects are all about! This is an integral part of Web 2.0 and the semantic presentation of information. Tags help you

• search for related work
• make others understand what your work and ideas are about
• identify projects that you might want to be involved with
• locate samples and files that you could use in your own project
• find people in the OpenSoundS community that you might want to collaborate with in the future
• help other users find your project quickly using the OpenSoundS dynamic search engine

How can I browse the OpenSoundS projects' tags?

• click on the Browse Tags link under the Collaborate sub-menu on the left-hand side
• the Browse Tags page appears
• all available tags appear in a cloud-view (also known as tag cloud, word cloud, or weighted list)
• this means that the bigger and bolder a tag, the more popular it is
• the list of tags is 'clever', you can click on any tag and you will automatically be shown all relevant projects on OpenSoundS

Can I find all of my projects and posts in one place?

Yes you can! First, simply log onto your OpenSoundS account (see above: How do I log onto OpenSoundS?). Upon successful login, go to My Page under the Collaborate sub-menu on the left-hand side.

How can I update my profile information?

• First, simply log onto your OpenSoundS account (see above: How do I log onto OpenSoundS?).
• Upon successful login, go to the top-right of the screen (where your username appears) and click on your username
• a drop-down list appears
• select the first option which is My account
• press the Edit button at the top right of your profile page
• update your information
• click on Save at the bottom of the page
• your new details are now online...

How do I post a comment?

• First, you need to log onto your OpenSoundS account. Only logged on users can post on OpenSoundS (see above: How do I log onto OpenSoundS?)
• Go to the project that you want to post a comment about (as mentioned above, there are numerous ways of doing that, either by using the search tool, or by browsing all projects, or by using the project tags, or the list of all projects... to name a few!)
• Once you are inside the project page, navigate to the bottom of the page
• Click on the Add new comment link
• simply type your comment in the available box (you can also add a title if you want to - but this is not compulsory)
• click on Save
• All done, your comment has been posted online!
• Remember: the OpenSoundS comments system is clever... it allows you to add media comments as well (for example, you can post a comment that includes a sound file -- like in YouTube where you can post a Video Response)

How do I share information about a project with other social media (e.g. Twitter or Facebook)?

• simply go to the project that you are interested in using any of the above presented ways (browsing, search, recent projects, tags, project owners)
• inside the project page and under the attributions information on the right you will see a share toolbar
• if you hover your mouse pointer over the share toolbar, you will see a list appearing, with a large number of available social media (over 300, if you click on more!!!)
• let say that we want to post the project information on Twitter
• click on More... at the bottom-left of the sharing pop-up window
• find Twitter (all social media appear in alphabetical order)
• the tweet posting window appears, the message containing information about the project has been added automatically for you
• simply use your login information (username/email and password)
• click on the sign in and tweet button
• all done!

30th ISME World Conference on Music Education: more photos and delegates' comments!

Additional photos by member of the COG committee, Theophilos Guinness.

All photos are organised in slideshows:

Welcome-registration
http://www.flickr.com/photos/teogin/sets/72157630984026974/show/

Day 1 http://www.flickr.com/photos/teogin/sets/72157630712126672/show/

Day 2 http://www.flickr.com/photos/teogin/sets/72157630726394820/show/

Day 3 http://www.flickr.com/photos/teogin/sets/72157630753566550/show/

Day 4 http://www.flickr.com/photos/teogin/sets/72157630835192114/show

Day 5 http://www.flickr.com/photos/teogin/sets/72157630979783644/show/

the 30th ISME World Conference on Music Education (15-20 July 2012, Thessaloniki, Greece)

30^th World Conference: 15th - 20th July 2012

ISME celebrated another successful biennium, with the hosting of the 30th ISME World conference on Music Education. ISME members, family and partners gathered in Thessaloniki, Greece, from July 15-20 for ISME's 2012 biennial World conference on music education. This was the 30^th such conference convened since the inception of ISME in 1953. Hearty congratulations go out to the Conference Organising Group, led by Polyvios Androutsos and the Greek Society for Music Education, GSME (May Kokkidou, President) who were the hosting association.

The world conference was preceded by the 7 ISME Commissions' international seminars in Athens, Corfu, Komotini and Thessaloniki. The Forum for Instrumental and Vocal teaching held very successful sessions throughout the World Conference. In a pilot initiative, 9 Special Interest Groups (SIGs) held sessions at the World Conference. These were organised to focus on a variety of themes and areas of academic and professional concern under the themes: New Professionals; Active Music Making; Assessment Measurement and Evaluation; El Sistema; Jazz; Spirituality and Music Education; Technology; Musicians Health and Wellness; and Practice and Research in Integrated Music Education.

The Society's three major sponsors NAMM, Gibson and SEMPRE have supported ISME in many ways over the past biennium including sponsorship of the World and Regional conferences (NAMM), sponsorship of the 2012 ISME Gibson Awards, and individual sponsorship of delegates to the World Conference (SEMPRE). The partnerships with these organisations enable ISME to make a mark in music education where it is needed most and contribute to the success of the World Conference.

For some pictures from the conference visit the GSME website (http://www.eeme.gr/en.html)

Also slideshows to the following links:

• Slideshow 1
• Slideshow 2
• Slideshow 3
• Slideshow 4

ISPS 2013 | Vienna | 28-31 August 2013

CALL FOR PAPERS
_________________________

ISPS 2013
Performing Together

28 | 31 August 2013
Vienna | Austria

www.performancescience.org
_________________________


The next International Symposium on Performance Science will be hosted
by the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna (MDW), on 28-31
August 2013.

The ISPS 2013 theme, Performing Together, is intended to encourage
discussion and debate on collaborative performing activities of all
types and between various constituents. Specific research topics,
fields of study, and methodological approaches have been left open
intentionally to encourage interdisciplinary exchange.

Submissions detailing original research are invited from across the
performing arts and other performance disciplines, as well as the
natural, social, and applied sciences.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Tecumseh Fitch
University of Vienna (Austria)

Peter Keller
University of Western Sydney (Australia)

Emma Redding
Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (UK)

Alan Wing
University of Birmingham (UK)

IMPORTANT DATES

30 November 2012: Paper/poster abstract submission deadline
15 January 2013: Registration for ISPS 2013 opens
1 February 2013: Notification of submission decision
1 March 2013: End of early registration
15 April 2013: Deadline for papers for the ISPS proceedings
28 August 2013: Start of ISPS 2013

SUBMISSIONS

Submissions are invited for

- Spoken papers
- Poster presentations
- Symposia and workshops

Detailed instructions for submissions are available via the conference
website: www.performancescience.org. Submissions should be made
electronically to cps@rcm.ac.uk by 30 November 2012.

GRADUATE AWARD

The Scientific Committee is keen to encourage the attendance of
students, as well as established researchers and practitioners.
Therefore, the ISPS 2013 Graduate Award will be offered to one
graduate student to present a keynote paper at the conference.

REVIEW PROCESS

Each submission will be reviewed anonymously by the Scientific
Committee according to its originality, importance, clarity, and
interdisciplinarity. Corresponding authors will be notified by email
of the Committee's decision by 1 February 2013.

CONFERENCE PUBLICATION

Accepted paper, poster, and symposium/workshop submissions will be
published as 6-page papers in the Proceedings of ISPS 2013 (complete
with ISBN), available in hardcopy at the conference and subsequently
downloadable via the conference website. Details of the procedure and
format for submitting published papers will be provided when authors
receive notification of acceptance. Final papers for publication will
be due on 15 April 2013.

REGISTRATION

Full and one-day registration options are available. Online
registration will open on 15 January 2013.

For further information about the venue, submissions, graduate award,
and registration, visit the conference website:
www.performancescience.org.

The official language of the conference is English.

__________________________________________

Aaron Williamon
Royal College of Music, London

Werner Goebl
University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna

Violin Virtuoso Joins El Sistema Movement at Exemplary Charter School

August 1, 2012

BRIGHTON, MA Violin virtuoso Adrian Anantawan has never let excuses
stand in the way of his art. Born without a right arm, Anantawan took
up the violin at the age of 9 using an adaptive device, which allows
him to control the bow with great sensitivity. At the age of 27, the
young protégé of Pinchas Zuckerman and Itzak Perlman has performed
concertos with professional orchestras in Toronto, Vancouver, and
Montreal, earning acclaim as a "rising star" of the classical world.
But for Anantawan, the glory of the concert hall takes a second fiddle
to what he sees as his highest purpose: bringing the joy of music
performance to those who are too often cut off from it.

This fall, he will join forces with the El Sistema movement as a
conductor of the Dudamel Orchestra at Conservatory Lab Charter School,
a public elementary school providing free, intensive music instruction
to children from Boston's poorest neighborhoods. Each student at the
school receives 2.5 hours of daily orchestral music instruction
beginning in kindergarten, woven into their academic schedule. Music
at Conservatory Lab is a vehicle for building a culture of excellence,
social responsibility, and self-confidence, a philosophy that
Anantawan has shared from the beginning.

"A lot of people don't realize how valuable their voices are;"
Anantawan explains, "for me, music saved my life. I want my students
to have the same opportunity to grow, to explore through music." He
cites his early success with the violin as a turning point in his
life, when he began to began to expect more from himself and from his
studies. His mentor, Itzak Perlman, who sits down to play the violin
after a childhood polio affliction weakened his legs, taught him that
the key to overcoming any disability is to develop a concept of what
you want, then figure out how to do it.

With degrees from the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music as well as
the Harvard School of Education, Anantawan is part of a new breed of
teaching artists, what Eric Booth describes as, "a practicing
professional artist with the complementary skills, curiosities and
sensibilities of an educator." He joins a team of likeminded
professional musicians who teach each of the orchestral instruments
offered at Conservatory Lab.

He understands himself as a musician who has been "enabled" by great
teachers who helped him realize his own innate artistry. Now he
strives to provide the same opportunities to children and adults,
whatever their obstacles might be.

Anantawan is in his element as he sorts through poems his students
have created to describe the emotions in Sibelius' Finlandia, a piece
he will conduct with them this fall. He smiles as he remarks, "I feel
like this is the perfect place to be right now."

The Oxford Handbook of Music Education

THE OXFORD HANDBOOK OF
MUSIC EDUCATION
Edited by Gary McPherson and Graham Welch
Order online at www.oup.com/us and enter promotion code 28862 to save 20%

Music education takes place in many contexts, both
formal and informal. Be it in a school or music studio,
while making music with friends or family, or even
while travelling in a car, walking through a shopping mall or
watching television, our myriad sonic experiences accumulate
from the earliest months of life to foster our facility for making
sense of the sound worlds in which we live. The Oxford
Handbook of Music Education offers a comprehensive overview
of the many facets of musical experience, behavior and
development in relation to this diverse variety of contexts.
While the first volume primarily focuses on children during
school-age years, this second collects an international list of
contributors to explore how music learning takes place
outside of the traditional classroom environment. Discussing a
range of issues such as music education for the special needs
population, music learning in adulthood, and music learning
through media and technology these chapters help to
broaden conceptions of music and musical involvement.
Whether they are used individually or in tandem, the two
volumes of The Oxford Handbook of Music Education update
and redefine the discipline, and show how individuals across
the world learn, enjoy and share the power and uniqueness of
music.

Features
- Features contributors at the forefront of music education
from around the world
- Recognizes that music education occurs in many contexts,
both formal and informal
- Updates and redefines music education as a discipline
through innovative principles and approaches to music
learning and teaching

vacancies: research project on communication and synchronization in music ensembles

The *Austrian Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence* (Vienna,
Austria) invites excellent researchers at pre-doctoral or
post-doctoral level to join a research project on communication and
synchronization in music ensembles.

The project, funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), aims to
investigate visual communication and temporal synchronization in music
ensembles. It involves measurement, analysis, and modeling of
musicians' body movements and synchronization mechanisms while
performing together (duet, trio, or larger). Development of real-time
interaction models will go alongside extensive experimentation with
musicians to gain essential insights into a very fundamental human
behavior.

We encourage applicants with backgrounds in computer science,
psychology, engineering, musicology or related fields. Programming
skills and/or experience with MATLAB, JAVA, C++, or similar are
required. Some experience in empirical music performance research,
motion capture technology, and/or real-time technologies are desired.
The positions are available from October 1st 2012 for initially 2
years, with prospect for continuation. Annual salary follows the
official scheme of the Austrian Science Fund (see
http://fwf.ac.at/de/projects/personalkostensaetze.html); citizens of
all countries may apply. Doctoral researchers have the option to
pursue a PhD programme in a related field at the MDW (University of
Music and Performing Arts Vienna), the JKU (Johannes Kepler University
Linz), or any other Austrian university.

Applications should include a letter of motivation, a CV with a
complete list of publications (preferably with links to full texts of
important publications), and graduation documents of the highest
degree (master or PhD). Applications will be considered immediately
and are accepted until September 1st, 2012, or until the positions are
filled. Please, send your applications to goebl@mdw.ac.at with PDF
attachments or links to online resources or by mail to OFAI, Freyung
6/6, 1010 Vienna, Austria.

Werner Goebl (PI), http://iwk.mdw.ac.at/goebl

Tenure Track position leading to professorship in empirical music research at IPEM, Dept. of Musicology, Ghent University, Belgium

Tenure Track position leading to professorship in empirical music
research at IPEM, Dept. of Musicology, Ghent University, Belgium

------------------------------------

Subject: Tenure Track position leading to professorship in empirical
music research at IPEM, Dept. of Musicology, Ghent University, Belgium
(www.ipem.ugent.be)

The candidate should have a background in empirical methods related to
(embodied) music cognition, with a profound knowledge of music. The
candidate will have the opportunity to contribute to a new
interdisciplinary media center in Ghent (from 2015 onwards), where
IPEM will deploy its activities in close collaboration with a
multimedia research group from engineering.

There are 2 positions for 4 competing research groups. Whether a
candidate will be selected for IPEM depends on the quality of the
applicant, and that of the other competing applicants (including those
that apply to other research groups).

The requisite application form is available on
http://www.ugent.be/nl/werken/aanwerving/formulieren/zap/tenuretrack.doc/view.

Applications must be sent no later than September 7, 2012.

For more information, please contact me at +32 09 2644125.

Marc Leman
Prof. dr. in Systematic Musicology
Ghent University
Blandijnberg 2
B-9000 Ghent
Belgium

OPEN SOUNDS

OPEN SoundS

Peer education on the internet for social sounds
OPEN Sounds is a Leonardo da Vinci (TOI) project that offers a new dimension in training on the Net: the possibility to produce and share music remotely within communities: a transnational virtual studio.
Through Open Sounds students and teachers can:
- access a virtual learning environment dedicated to collaborative music production which functions remotely and transnationally.
- work with the first European student network built to create and share music remotely within the education system.
- access training and information resources for the conscious and strategic use of digital music technology and the Net.

www.opensounds.eu

Journée mondiale de la diversité culturelle pour le dialogue et le développement / World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Develop ment / Día Mundial de la Diversidad Cultural para el D iálogo y el Desarrollo

Français / English / Español

 

 

Message de la Directrice générale de l'UNESCO, Irina Bokova, à l'occasion de la journée mondiale de la diversité culturelle pour le dialogue et le développement, UNESCO, le 21 mai 2012

 

La culture est ce que nous sommes. Elle porte nos identités et nos rêves d'avenir. Les cultures se nourrissent mutuellement et contribuent à rendre l'humanité plus riche et plus féconde. Cette diversité est une source de renouvellement des idées et des sociétés. Elle représente un immense potentiel de croissance, de dialogue et de participation sociale.

 

Protéger et promouvoir la culture, c'est faire vivre cette diversité. Les nouvelles technologies, l'accélération de la mondialisation rapprochent les cultures comme jamais auparavant. La diversité culturelle s'affiche tous les jours sur les écrans des nouveaux médias et dans nos sociétés métissées. Ce brassage est un enrichissement, mais il peut aussi alimenter les malentendus et servir de prétexte à la division. Nous devons doter les jeunes générations de compétences interculturelles plus fortes pour apprendre à vivre ensemble et tirer le meilleur du foisonnement des cultures.

 

La raison d'être de l'Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'éducation, les sciences et la culture (UNESCO) est d'offrir les moyens de libérer le potentiel de la diversité culturelle. Les conventions culturelles de l'UNESCO montrent que la culture a le pouvoir de tisser des liens entre le passé et l'avenir, par la protection du Patrimoine mondial et du patrimoine immatériel, la promotion de la diversité des expressions culturelles. La culture aide à surmonter les conflits en éclairant ce qui nous rassemble. Elle stimule la créativité qui est un moteur d'innovation et de développement. Dans les termes de la Déclaration universelle de l'UNESCO sur la diversité culturelle, adoptée en 2001, « la diversité culturelle est, pour le genre humain, aussi nécessaire que la biodiversité dans l'ordre du vivant ». Cette déclaration constitue le socle d'une gouvernance mondiale inclusive, capable d'assurer le respect des droits humains universels, partout sur la planète.

 

La culture et la créativité sont des ressources renouvelables par excellence. A l'heure où les Etats cherchent des leviers de croissance et de développement durable, j'appelle les responsables politiques et les acteurs de la société civile à reconnaître ce rôle de la diversité culturelle et à l'intégrer dans les politiques publiques. Notre environnement naturel est fragilisé : sachons mettre en valeur notre environnement culturel. Le potentiel économique des industries créatives les désigne comme une locomotive de la croissance verte. Et l'expérience prouve que les modèles de développement efficaces sont ceux qui savent intégrer les spécificités culturelles locales pour susciter la participation des populations concernées. Les Nations Unies s'apprêtent à définir un nouvel agenda pour la coopération internationale après 2015, la culture doit absolument figurer comme un pilier de toute stratégie de développement durable car elle permettra le dialogue entre les peuples et l'appropriation de leur avenir.

 

- - -

Message from Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, UNESCO, 21 May 2012

Culture is what we are. It embodies our identities and our dreams for the future. Cultures are mutually sustaining and contribute to the enhancement of humanity's wealth and productivity. Such diversity is a wellspring for the renewal of ideas and societies. It holds great potential for growth, dialogue and social participation.

By protecting and promoting culture, we sustain diversity. New technologies and rapid globalization are bringing cultures together as never before. Cultural diversity features prominently every day on new-media screens and in our mixed societies. Such intermingling is enrichment, but it can also fuel misunderstandings and be used as an excuse for division. We must equip the rising generations with stronger intercultural skills so that they may learn to live together and make the most of the profusion of cultures.

The chief purpose of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is to provide ways and means of unlocking the potential of cultural diversity. UNESCO's cultural conventions show that culture can forge ties between the past and the future by protecting the world's tangible heritage and intangible heritage and by promoting the diversity of cultural expressions. Culture helps us to rise above conflicts by elucidating the factors that bring us together. It boosts the creativity that drives innovation and development. The UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, adopted in 2001, states that "cultural diversity is as necessary for humankind as biodiversity is for nature". The Declaration has laid the foundation for inclusive world governance capable of ensuring observance of human rights worldwide.

Culture and creativity are renewable resources par excellence. Now that States are looking for mainsprings of growth and sustainable development, I call on policy makers and civil society stakeholders to acknowledge this role of cultural diversity and to factor it into public policies. Our natural environment has been weakened: let us find ways and means of optimizing our cultural environment. Owing to their economic potential, creative industries are engines of green growth. Furthermore, experience shows that efficient development models are those that actually integrate local cultural specificities, thus eliciting the involvement of the communities concerned. Preparations are under way at the United Nations to set the new post-2015 international cooperation agenda, and culture must absolutely be included as a pillar of any sustainable development strategy, for it will enable peoples to dialogue with each other and be masters of their future.

- - -

Mensaje de la Directora General de la UNESCO, Irina Bokova, con motivo del Día Mundial de la Diversidad Cultural para el Diálogo y el Desarrollo UNESCO, 21 de mayo de 2012

La cultura es lo que somos. Es lo que sustenta nuestras identidades y nuestros sueños de porvenir. Las culturas se nutren mutuamente y contribuyen a que la humanidad sea más rica y más fecunda. Esa diversidad es una fuente de renovación de las ideas y las sociedades. Constituye un inmenso potencial de crecimiento, de diálogo y de participación social.

Proteger y promover la cultura es hacer vivir esa diversidad. Las nuevas tecnologías y la aceleración de la mundialización acercan a las culturas como nunca antes. La diversidad cultural aparece todos los días en las pantallas de los nuevos medios de comunicación y en nuestras sociedades mestizadas. Esa mezcla es un enriquecimiento, pero puede también suscitar malentendidos y servir de pretexto para la división. Debemos dotar a las jóvenes generaciones de competencias interculturales más robustas para aprender a vivir juntos y sacar el mejor provecho de la multiplicidad de las culturas.

La razón de ser de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura (UNESCO) es brindar los medios de liberar el potencial de la diversidad cultural. Las convenciones culturales de la UNESCO muestran que la cultura tiene la facultad de estrechar lazos entre el pasado y el futuro, gracias a la protección del patrimonio mundial y del patrimonio inmaterial, y a la promoción de la diversidad de las expresiones culturales. La cultura ayuda a superar los conflictos resaltando lo que nos reúne. Estimula la creatividad, factor de innovación y desarrollo. Según la Declaración Universal de la UNESCO sobre la Diversidad Cultural, aprobada en 2001, "la diversidad cultural es tan necesaria para el género humano como la diversidad biológica para los organismos vivos". Esta Declaración constituye el fundamento de una gobernanza mundial inclusiva, capaz de garantizar en todo el planeta el respeto de los derechos humanos universales.

La cultura y la creatividad son recursos renovables por excelencia. En momentos en que los Estados buscan medios de crecimiento y de desarrollo sostenible, insto a los responsables políticos y a los agentes de la sociedad civil a que reconozcan ese papel de la diversidad cultural y lo integren en las políticas públicas. Nuestro entorno natural está fragilizado: sepamos valorizar nuestro entorno cultural. El potencial económico de las industrias creativas las designa como una fuerza impulsora del crecimiento ecológico. Y la experiencia demuestra que los modelos de desarrollo eficaces son aquellos que saben integrar las especificidades culturales locales para suscitar la participación de las poblaciones interesadas. Las Naciones Unidas se disponen a definir un nuevo programa para la cooperación internacional después de 2015. Es indispensable que la cultura figure como elemento esencial de toda estrategia de desarrollo sostenible, ya que posibilitará el diálogo entre los pueblos y la apropiación de su futuro.

ISME supports and endorses 1st Annual UNESCO INTERNATIONAL ARTS EDUCATION WEEK

1st Annual UNESCO
INTERNATIONAL ARTS EDUCATION WEEK
MAY 21 – MAY 27, 2012

The World Alliance for Arts Education joins UNESCO in supporting arts
education & encouraging the social practices of cultural diversity,
intercultural dialogue, and sustainable development.

Celebrate Arts Education!

WAAE MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS
http://www.insea.org/
http://www.isme.org/
http://www.idea-org.net/
http://www.worlddancealliance.net

Revista Internacional de Educación Musical

New Publication

ISME is pleased to announce the launching of the Revista Internacional de Educación Musical, a peer-reviewed journal in Spanish whose purpose is to provide research-based papers in that language. Submission of manuscripts to be considered for publication in the journal is most welcome. Subscription is free. More information about the journal as well as details about the call for papers is available at http://riem.isme.org. It is also possible to write to riem@isme.org .

ISME se complace en anunciar el lanzamiento de la Revista Internacional de Educación Musical, una revista arbitrada publicada en castellano cuyo propósito es propiciar artículos de investigación en este idioma. El envío de artículos para consideración de la revista son bienvenidos en cualquier momento. La suscripción es gratuita. Puede encontrarse más información sobre RIEM, así como más sobre las normas para la publicación de artículos en http://riem.isme.org. También puede escribirse a riem@isme.org .

New Teaching Positions in Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM)

Dear Colleagues and Friends of ANIM,

I am pleased to inform you that ANIM is expanding its international
faculty by employing three music teachers for the following
instruments:

Classical guitar: http://www.jobs.af/afghanistan/14989/guitar-teacher

Cello and double base:
http://www.jobs.af/afghanistan/14980/cello-double-bass-teacher

Saxophone: http://www.jobs.af/afghanistan/14991/saxophone-teacher

Having said that I would like to ask you to forward the links above to
your friends and music educators who might be interested to join our
faculty. If is it possible please place it in your website and use
your networks to spread the words about this opportunities.

I am looking forward to appreciate your assistance.

Regards
Ahmad
--

Dr Ahmad Naser Sarmast
Founder and Director

Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM)

Ministry of Education, Afghanistan
Research Fellow
Monash Asia Institute
Monash School of Music - Conservatorium
Monash University, Australia
Honorary Fellow
National College of Music, London
Tel: +93 (0) 796 54 29 52     + 61421981246   +613 9704 2784
Email: ahmad.sarmast@adm.monash.edu.au

ISME GIVES GLOBAL SONAR AWARD FOR RESOUNDING SUPPORT TO MUSIC TO NAMM AND NAMM FOUNDATION

On January 20, 2012, ISME gave the inaugural ISME Global Sonar Award
to NAMM and the NAMM Foundation for invaluable support to ongoing
efforts to understand, celebrate and promote music learning across the
lifespan during the SupportMusic Coalition international webcast at
the 2012 NAMM Show in Anaheim, California.

[photo 1] "I'm proud to recognize NAMM for its contribution to the
music mission that it shares with ISME and with music educators
throughout the world," said Graham Welch. "Our partnership makes a
real difference by providing direct support to programs that advance
access to music and music education for people of all ages. Thanks to
NAMM, we have been able to learn more about the profound effects of
music on human development and thereby advocate more effectively for
its rightful place in 21st century education."

[photo 2] ISME executives greeted international music industry
business and press immediately following the event. Featured left to
right: Graça Boal Palheiros, Margaret Barrett, Stanley Jordan, Graham
Welch, Joe Lamond, Håkan Lundström, Bo Wah Leung.

[photo 3] NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond accepted the award on
NAMM's behalf. Composer, guitarist and clinician Stanley Jordan was on
hand to help ISME confer the award. Over the past 10 years, NAMM and
the NAMM Foundation have reinvested nearly $80 million dollars in
support of its mission and to promote music making for people of all
ages. This includes the provision of $ 13.2 million in direct grants
to community-based music education programs and $ 3.2 million in music
research funds including ground-breaking research into the wider
benefits of music such as knowledge underpinning our current
understanding of music's impact on cognitive development and learning.

The SupportMusic Coalition webcast featured a panel of music education
celebrity advocates discussing music's impact on student growth and
achievement.  To watch the taped webcast including the ISME Global
Sonar Award, visit
http://www.nammfoundation.org/supportmusic-coalition-webcast-ns12

ISME Executive::January 2012

ISME Executive being held in conjunction with the NAMM Show included a
visit to the John Lennon Educational Tour bus.

From left to right:
Bo Wah Leung, Håkan Lundström, Graça Boal Palheiros, Brian Rothschild
(Executive Director of the John Lennon bus), Margaret Barrett, Judy
Thönell and Graham Welch.

photo provided by Bo Wah Leung.

The 8th International Conference for Research in Music Education

The 8th International Conference for Research in Music Education

April 2-6, 2013

Graduate School of Education

University of Exeter

Call for Papers - Deadline 31 October 2012

The aim of the conference is to gather together researchers, teachers
and practitioners to share and discuss research that is concerned with
all aspects of teaching and learning in music: musical development,
perception and understanding, creativity, learning theory, pedagogy,
curriculum design, informal settings, music for special needs,
technologies, instrumental teaching, teacher education, gender and
culture. Music education is also viewed in the context of arts
education, the whole curriculum and its socio cultural contexts.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS TO INCLUDE

Dr Pamela Burnard - Cambridge University, UK

Professor Gary McPherson - Melbourne University, Australia

Dr Kate Overy - Edinburgh University, UK

Submissions

*Abstracts of no more than 300 words should be submitted with an
indication of the mode of presentation: e.g. paper, poster, symposium
etc.

*Abstracts should be sent as Word compatible documents. Please DO NOT
send pdf documents.

*Authors who intend to submit their work to the journal should
indicate this on the abstract (i.e. 'this article will also be
submitted to the journal for review')

*Paper presentations should be 20 minutes in length, to be followed by
up to 10 minutes chaired discussion time.

*Practical workshops linking research to practice are especially welcome.

*If you are interested in organising a symposium please contact the
conference director before submitting an abstract.

*Criteria for acceptance: original, well conducted and reported
research, relevant to an international audience in the field of music
education, demonstrating sufficient command of English.

*A short curriculum vitae (resumé) of no more than one side of A4 must
be attached.

Submit to rime@ex.ac.uk

All abstracts are anonymously reviewed. On acceptance, authors will be
invited to submit an extended summary of 1,000 words which will be
published in the conference proceedings online after the conference.

Papers to be considered for publication in the journal 'Music
Education Research' should be submitted electronically directly to the
journal. Papers for the journal should be between 5000 and 8000 words
and conform to requirements of the journal (see style guidelines).

Conference Director: Sarah Hennessy

Further details and booking information will be available from May
2012 at the Conference web site.