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Celebrating our presence at the 37th ISME World Conference: Western Music Education on the world stage
via Kevin Watson, Chair, Music Education Department
The important contributions of our graduate students and alumni to the 37th International Society for Music Education (ISME) World Conference, taking place July 26-31, 2026, in Montréal, Québec, Canada, highlights the vibrancy of our research community and its strong international reputation.
Centered on the theme "Unity in Music Education: Building Bridges for All," the conference brings together music educators, researchers, performers, and community leaders from around the world to share innovative ideas and transformative practices in music education.
This year, our community is proudly represented through 17 conference presentations, showcasing scholarship that spans accessibility, disability studies, music technology, identity, citizenship education, health and wellbeing, popular music, pedagogy, assessment, and cross-cultural musical practices. The breadth and impact of these presentations reflect our commitment to advancing inclusive, socially responsive, and innovative music education research that demonstrates how music can build meaningful bridges across cultures, disciplines, communities, and lived experiences.
Presentations by Current Graduate Students & Faculty
Our graduate students will share cutting-edge research addressing diverse educational contexts and communities:- Ran Jiang - Mediating Accessibility through a Musical Instrument-Making Project by Chinese Secondary Students
- Xi Li - The Thinking Body: Embodied Approach in Piano Pedagogy
- Andrée Dagenais & Melissa Spraggs - Learning in a Performance Context: Choral Assessment through a Repeated Performance Model
- Rayne Vitorino Dias & Murilo Rezende - BraSil Beyond Bossa: Expanding the Jazz Ensemble's Brazilian Repertoire
- Zachary Harwell - The Mask: A Look into Band Directors' Conductor Persona
- Aaron Hodgson & Selin Uctu Atiseri - Exploring the Experiences of Former Professional Musicians
- Estefanía Urqueta - Music and Citizenship Education: Methodological Possibilities of an Interdisciplinary Approach
- Yang Yang - Cross-Curricular Connections in Music Education: Exploring the STEAM Model in Primary Classrooms in Shanghai
- Ran Jiang & Liu Liu - Perceiving Technological Affordances: Chinese Secondary Students Making Accessible Musical Instruments
- Seyram Afealete - "I Don't Know About Third Culture Kids, But I Believe We Are Gha-nadians": Decolonizing Identity Through Music-Based Arts Inquiry
- Xi Li, Estefanía Urqueta, Jacqui Adeniji, Gift Tshuma, Kurt Thumlert & adam patrick bell - Disability-Led Music Making Across Canada: Germinations of the FAARMM Team
Presentations by Recent Alumni
Our alumni continue to demonstrate leadership and influence in the field through research and creative scholarship:
- Nathan Gage - The Tracks of Their Peers: Music Teachers' Perspectives on Incorporating Studio Recording of Student Rock Bands in Their High School Classrooms
- Kelly Bylica - Reimagining Policy Through Design-Based Research in Music Education
- Kyle Zavitz - Perspectives From Music Faculty and Administration on the Organization of Student Work and Health
- Rhiannon Simpson - SongMakers: Exploring the Songwriting Pedagogy of Artists and Music Producers
- jashen edwards, Caroline Blumer & Kari Veblen - Responding Relationally to the World via Sound, Music, and Improvisatory Practices: Exploring the Sound Sculpture Park Project
- Gareth Dylan Smith, Johnny Touchette, Donna Janowski & Nicolas Prevost - DIY Music and Video as Counter-Hegemonic Expression Through (un)Popular Music
PHOTO (left to right): Music graduate students Ran Jiang, Estefanía Urqueta, Yang Yang, Zachary Harwell, Xi Li, Melissa Spragg, Selin Uctu Atiseri, Seyram Afealete, Alberto Acquilino (post-doctoral associate), Melissa Hambleton (Faculty of Education), Rayne Vitorino Dias