NAMM backs Music China conference

NAMM gave its backing to the first China Conference on Music Education with the Chinese Society for Music Education (CSME) during October’s Music China.

Music education experts from China and the US provided insights into different methodologies, education theories and current best practices in music education. A convened group of around 1,500 Chinese music educators, researchers, and post-graduate students participated in the first free national music education gathering.

“In 2006, we held the Music Education Summit, which played a significant role in developing China’s music education theory and sharing best practices,” said conference organizer Wu Bin, Secretary General of China Society of Music Education. “Nine years later, NAMM proposed to hold a China music education conference during the Music China show, and it had a particular resonance for us. Within two weeks, registration for the conference exceeded 1500, demonstrating a warm welcome from the music educators and practitioners as well as the great influence of our Society and the invited speakers.”

Keynote speakers included Victor Fung, Professor of Music Education at South Florida University, Anne Fennell, Performing Arts Chair and Instrumental and Music Composition Teacher at Mission Vista High School in Vista, California, and Gabriella Musacchia, Assistant Professor at the Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology at the University of the Pacific.

“We hope this event helped to support China’s developing music education programs with forward-looking, relevant and engaging programming,” said Betty Heywood, NAMM director of international affairs. “This first free subscription conference in China brought together leading lights and post-graduates who share NAMM’s vision of a more musical world where all children have the opportunity to learn music.”

Teachers and researchers from all over China, including Tibet and Inner Mongolia, made it to the conference – some of them flying more than six hours to attend.

“Compared with nine years ago, today, we have a quite different situation and development level thanks to NAMM’s influence in the world and their support to us,” continued Wu. “For sure, we will focus on the future, and we hope that NAMM will continue to support the development of music education in China. We will also exert our utmost efforts to drive the development of education in China and further communication between China and US in music.”