Student Forum History

At the 35th World Conference (July 2022), the ISME Membership Committee, led by Prof. Jody Kerchner, held several student-focused professional development workshops aimed at supporting the interests held by student members of ISME. This conference marked the realization of discussions, led by ISME Past Presidents Lee Higgins, Susan O'Neill, and Emily Akuno, about beginning a student chapter. The Student Chapter collected the names, email addresses, countries, and research interests of 53 student members who attended the 35th World Conference Student Chapter sessions. These individuals hailed from 15 countries and carried a variety of research interests ranging from community music, musicians' well-being, virtual/augmented reality composition, and trauma-informed practice. In 2024, the Student Chapter was renamed as the Student Forum. The student membership of ISME currently represents approximately 30% of all ISME members.

Without learners, there are no teachers; without novices, there are no experts. We believe that these students are the future of music research and teaching disciplines. It is important that the student body of ISME has a supportive body of similarly passionate student and academic members with their best interests in mind to help foster their curiosities, passions, and aspirations to contribute to the study and practice of music education.