9th International Symposium on Assessment in Music Education: Diversity and Unity

Hannover, Germany

Mar. 20-22, 2023

Welcome

Call for Proposals

Assessment in Music Education: Unity and Diversity

The 9th International Symposium on Assessment in Music Education

March 20-22, 2023

 

Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover

(Hannover University of Music, Theatre, and Media)

Hannover, Germany

 

Conference Chairs:

Marshall Haning, University of Florida

Andreas Lehmann-Wermser, Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover

Email: isame9@aa.ufl.edu

 

The music education faculties of the University of Florida and the Hannover University of Music, Theatre, and Media (HMTMH) will host the 9th International Symposium on Assessment in Music Education from March 20-22, 2023.  We are pleased to plan a return to an in-person format for this symposium as the effects of the coronavirus pandemic are expected to continue to recede.  The purpose of ISAME is to bring together music education professionals worldwide to share the latest research, thought, and practice in music education assessment. We invite primary and secondary school music educators, higher education professionals and music education researchers, national, state, and local policymakers and education officials from across the world to join us for this important gathering.

ISAME9 will be hosted at the Lieibnizhaus Conference Center in Hannover, Germany.  Hannover is the State capital of Lower Saxony. The city was rewarded “UNESCO City of Music” and features a rich musical life. The  HMTMH is one of the largest German music academies with an international reputation for its piano and violin department. The music education department is known for its innovative teaching models as well as for its research projects.

The conference site will be in a rebuilt the 17th century building named after Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and in a nearby conference building, both located in the old part of the town. Hannover can be reached by plane or with direct high speed trains from Frankfurt International Airport.

 

         


The HMTMH campus                                                      The HMTMH concert hall

 

The Focus of the Symposium

As we continue to recognize and support the incredible diversity of musical and educational practices around the world, it has become increasingly apparent that one of our primary challenges is to create shared meaning around topics related to assessment in its many forms in the discipline of music education.  In many cases, this may result from a lack of familiarity with musical, educational, or assessment practices that are used in different parts of the world. 

At the 8th International Symposium, attendees addressed the challenge of arriving at a shared definition of the word “assessment.”  Although this term has been at the center of the ISAME events for more than a decade, we conceded that we did not share a common understanding of what exactly “assessment” means.  After discussion, the attendees arrived at a proposed working definition for this term:

The process of measurement and evaluation of the learning process as informed by specific goals, contexts, and cultural settings.

In this 9th International Symposium, we hope to showcase the diversity of assessment practices currently in use and also to highlight and illustrate the common threads that tie our profession together.  Most importantly, we hope to engage in sessions that demonstrate the process of assessment and how that process is implemented in a variety of cultural contexts.  While a shared understanding of language, meaning, and purpose is essential to allow us to engage in the kinds of cooperative efforts that ISAME embodies, it is an understanding of our diversity that may lead to the most remarkable outcomes.  Key questions for this Symposium include:

  • What types of assessment practices are currently in use around the world, and how do these practices reflect regional understandings or definitions of assessment that may contribute to the development of shared language and meaning?
  • What terminology related to assessment is currently in use around the world, and how can we better arrive at shared language and meaning?
  • How are assessment practices similar or different across different cultures and contexts, and how can understanding these similarities or differences help us to arrive at shared language and meaning?

 

Guiding Principles for the Assessment of Arts Learning

Attendees at the 2017 Symposium created a set of proposed International Principles for Assessment in Music Education (Brophy, 2019; Brophy & Fautley, 2017).  These principles served as one inspiration for the development of the Guiding Principles for the Assessment of Arts Learning (Brophy et al., 2021).  Presenters are strongly encouraged to consider these Guiding Principles in developing their proposals and presentations.  In particular, the principle of Shared Language is of great relevance to this symposium.

Principles of Justice

  • Cultural Responsiveness
  • Assessments of arts learning should reflect and honor the diverse cultures, histories, and indigenous traditions, and ways of knowing inherent in the arts learning experiences
  • Authenticity
    • Assessments of arts learning should be authentic and appropriate for the context in which it is administered.
  • Accessibility
    • Assessments of arts learning, and its associated standards or curricula, should be made available to and appropriately adapted to the individual characteristics of all students.

Principles of Fidelity

  • Artistry
    • Assessments of arts learning should reflect the variety of artistic expressions and value cultural production.
  • Process
    • Assessments of arts learning should value the artistic, cultural, and creative processes and the contexts in which they are used.
  • Intentionality
    • Assessments of arts learning should have a clear purpose, identify who is being assessed and who is conducting the assessment, and define clearly how the findings or evidence will be used and interpreted.
  • Trustworthiness
    • Assessments of arts learning should incorporate broadly accepted norms of validity, reliability, and fairness, and focus on student learning.
  • Viability
    • Assessments of arts learning should be clear, easy to understand, and implementable by all of those engaged in the practice.

Principles of Sustainability

  • Shared Language
    • Assessments of arts learning should be discussed using commonly accepted definitions of assessment, measurement, and evaluation, and other appropriate terms.
  • Connection
    • Assessments of arts learning should arise from the curriculum, the learner’s experiences, and the artistic forms, histories, and cultures from and within which the assessments are developed and operationalized.
  • Value
    • Assessments of arts learning should be valued as a way to improve student arts learning and guide future instruction.

 

 Call for Papers and Presentations

We seek submissions for research papers, research posters, assessment practice papers, and panel discussions that address the symposium theme and key questions. 

Research Papers will be presented in a spoken format, with presentation sessions lasting approximately 45 minutes (including time for questions and comments by attendees).  Research papers should be focused on original scholarship conducted by the presenter.  Submissions for research paper presentations should include an extended abstract of no less than 500 and no more than 750 words (excluding references) outlining the content of the presentation and how it connects to the themes and key questions of the Symposium. 

Research Posters will be displayed at a poster session during the Symposium.  Research posters should be focused on original scholarship conducted by the presenter.  Submissions for research paper presentations should include an extended abstract of no less than 500 and no more than 750 words (excluding references) outlining the content of the presentation and how it connects to the themes and key questions of the Symposium.  Presenters may choose to have their submission considered for presentation as a research paper or as a research poster.

Assessment Practice Papers will be presented in a spoken format, with presentation sessions lasting approximately 45 minutes (including time for questions and comments by attendees).  Assessment practice papers should focus on assessment methods, tools, or approaches currently in use in a specific country, region, or musical practice.  The purpose of assessment practice papers should be to illustrate for attendees the diversity of assessment practices in music education and the ways in which these practices can contribute to shared meaning and understanding.  Submitters are strongly encouraged to partner with practicing music educators for the creation and presentation of assessment practice papers.  Submissions for assessment practice papers should include an extended abstract of no less than 500 and no more than 750 words (excluding references) outlining the content of the presentation.  Submissions in this area are strongly encouraged, in alignment with the themes and key questions of the Symposium.

Panel Discussions will be presented in a spoken format, with presentation sessions lasting approximately 90 minutes (including time for questions and comments by attendees).  Panel discussions are intended to provide an opportunity for discussion and interaction among the presenters, to help address the conference themes of diversity and shared meaning.  Submissions for panel discussions must include a) An abstract of no more than 250 words describing the overall purpose and content of the session, b) An abstract or description of no more than 250 words for each presenter illustrating the ideas that that presenter will contribute to the session, and c) an abstract of no more than 500 words specifically addressing the proposed outcomes of the discussion and how these align with the symposium themes and key questions.

Details of the proposal submission process and registration for the symposium are available at https://reg.conferences.dce.ufl.edu/ISAME/983.Proposal submissions are due by Sunday, July 10th, 2022. All submissions will be reviewed by an expert international panel of music educators, and notifications will be completed by September 15th, 2022. Early submissions are encouraged.

 

References

Brophy, T.S. (2019). Assessment in music education: The state of the art. In T. S. Brophy (Ed.), Handbook on assessment policy and practice in music education (vol. 2) (pp. 903-931). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Brophy, T. S., & Fautley, M. (2017, April 20). International principles for assessment in music education. Presented atContext matters: The 6th International Symposium on Assessment in Music Education. Birmingham City University, Birmingham, England.

Brophy, T., Krieger, C., Leite, M. C., McCaffrey, M., Poulin, J. M., & Wolf, D. P. (2021, October 15). Guiding Principles for the Assessment of Arts Learning. World Alliance for Arts Education Virtual World Summit, Gainesville, FL. https://doi.org/10.51163/CREATIVE-GEN006