Theme: Advancing the Teaching and Learning of Music in the 21st Century World
Guest Scientific Directors: Francine Morin and Beryl Peters
We are all inspired and empowered by arts. They have the power to captivate, challenge and transform each and every one of us in profound ways that last a lifetime. Arts provide a unique and valuable agency for everyone to express their emotions, thoughts, feelings and experiences. That is why it is essential to integrate them into education. Arts education can enhance learning and unlock creativity, foster critical thinking, empathy, and socio-emotional skills. It is key to help promote pluralism, respect for cultural diversity, and a sense of belonging to a global human community (Bolden et al., 2024, p. 6).
Source: Bolden, B., Corcoran, S., Kukkonen, T., Newberry, J., and Rickey, N. (2024). Arts for transformative education: A guide for teachers from the UNESCO Associated School Network . UNESCO and The Canadian Commission for UNESCO.
The Canadian Music Educators’ Association/Association canadienne des musiciens enseignants supports and brings together people with an interest in music education, and aims to advance the teaching and learning of music. This is achieved through publications and communications with music educators in Canada and abroad. In keeping with our mission, we foster national and international exchange and dialogue by disseminating research findings on topics relevant to music education in Canada and around the world ( https://cmea.ca/en/ ).
Musician Educator Canada (MEC) is the official quarterly journal of the Canadian Association of Musician Educators, publishing a wide range of articles related to music education in Canada and around the world. Musician Educator Canada (MEC) and the Canadian Association of Musician Educators are inviting papers for a special research issue, which will feature research findings on current issues in music education and approaches to advancing the teaching and learning of music in 21st century educational contexts.
There is a continuing need for a better understanding of the value of music and of the teaching and learning of it. (Reimer, 2022).
Source: Reimer, B. (2022). A philosophy of music education: Advancing the vision (3rd ed .). State University of New York.
Any study conducted by researchers or practitioners using a systematic research method and addressing one of these or a related topic is eligible. The study may involve exploring new approaches to teaching and learning in school, university or community settings; or the design, implementation and evaluation of innovative teaching resources and the sharing of knowledge gained. We are particularly interested in studies that bridge the gap between research and practice, and those that are of interest to the national and international music education community.
- New approaches in music programs and assessments
- Music and socio-emotional learning
- Music Education and Health, Healing or Well-being
- Partnerships in music education
- Creativity and learning through the body
- Music Education as Artivism
- Social Justice in Music Education
- Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility in Music Education
- Holistic and contemplative music education
- Music Education in the Digital World
- Music Education and Truth, Reconciliation or Peace
- Anti-oppressive and decolonizing approaches in music education
- Culturally Appropriate Music Education
- World Music in Music Education
- Gender and Music Education
- Paradigm Shifts in Music Education
- Integrative music education
- The role of music education in sustainable development, climate change or ecopedagogy
- Reinventing the music education of the future
- Music Teacher Training
- The development of music teachers
Proposals will be peer-reviewed in a double-blind manner. Contributors to this special issue may also be invited to serve as reviewers. Please refer to the CMEA submission guidelines at: https://cmea.ca/en/resources/journal/ . The recommended word count for articles in this special issue is 6,000 to 8,000 words excluding references.
The deadline for submitting a paper proposal is April 15, 2025 . Before writing a full paper, you must submit for peer review a working title, an abstract of approximately 1500 words , and a biography to Dr. Francine Morin, Director of Research and Publications at research@cmea.ca . The decision on acceptance will be communicated no later than May 30, 2025 .
The deadline for submission of the full article is September 30, 2025. To submit an article for possible publication in the CME Special Research Issue , please send your text in Word format to Dr. Francine Morin, Director of Research and Publications at research@cmea.ca . This issue is scheduled for publication in the Spring/Summer 2026 edition .
Peer comments will be submitted no later than November 15, 2025.
The deadline for submitting a revised article is December 31, 2025.
The final acceptance decision and reviewer comments will be provided no later than January 31, 2026.
The deadline for submitting the final version of an article is February 28, 2026.
For questions to the guest scientific directors, write to: Dr. Francine Morin at research@cmea.ca or Dr. Beryl Peters at beryl.peters@umanitoba.ca.
