AboutISME
The International Society for Music Education (ISME) is incorporated in the United States as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, recognized by the US Internal Revenue Service as tax-exempt under the Federal Exempt Code. As a global organization, ISME maintains its commitment to serving members and advancing music education worldwide.
ISMECore Values
To build and maintain a worldwide community of music educators, ISME affirms that:
- There is a need for music education in all cultures.
- Effective music education depends on suitably qualified teachers who are respected and compensated properly for their work.
- All teacher education curricula should provide skills in and understandings of a selection of both local and international musics.
- Formal and informal music education programs should serve the individual needs of all learners, including those with special needs and exceptional competencies.
- Music education programs should take as a point of departure the existence of a wide variety of musics, all of which are worthy of understanding and study.
With respect to international and intercultural understandings and cooperation, ISME believes that:
- The richness and diversity of the world's music provides opportunities for intercultural learning and international understanding, cooperation and peace.
- In music education everywhere, respect for all kinds of music should be emphasised.
In its promotion of music education worldwide, ISME maintains that:
- Access for all people to music learning opportunities and to participate actively in various aspects of music is essential for the wellbeing of the individual and society.
- In teaching the musics of the world, the integrity of each music and its value criteria should be fully respected.
- Access to music, information about music, and opportunities to develop musical and related skills can occur in a range of ways, that are essential in satisfying peoples' diverse musical needs, interests, and capacities.
