Welcome to the APME Liverpool 2025 conference. Here, you’ll be able to register for the conference and update your Sched profile. We encourage you to browse the various presentations and to create a custom schedule. If you have any questions, please visit our conference website or contact us at conference@popularmusiceducation.org We look forward to coming together as a community July 22–24, 2025!
Exploring the integration of student voice and co-construction in lower secondary music curricula, this research examines teacher and student perspectives to enhance engagement and inclusivity. Through qualitative action research, it highlights strategies for developing responsive curricula that foster collaboration, cultural relevance, and improved retention in music education.
Utilizing Critical Race Theory to conceptualize this study, rhythm and pitch—two key elements of music— are used to explore literature around the interconnectedness of capitalism and racism. A greater understanding within this study may lead to more socioacademically equitable music learning and teaching in K-12 and higher education.
This session will detail the work being done at the SENSES Project, a music/podcast creation space at Syracuse University focused on increasing sense of belonging for first generation and other marginalized student groups. The space offers free access to equipment and education around music production, DJing, podcasting, and much more.
The AIRBAG framework offers educators an approach to exploring negotiated assessment methodology with their students to help them make personlaised meaning of their learning experiences. Utilising a combination of military debrief tactics and a inquiry focussed approach, the framework helps promote criticality and agency within HE study.
How can studying the popular music tradition and encouraging students’ innovations be balanced most fruitfully? This session shows how they can feed off each other. A music tradition is like a language – our students must learn to speak it in order to join a conversation and say something innovative.
This music teacher education program includes popular music from diverse cultures throughout the curriculum. Freshmen learn guitar informally and perform cover songs in bands. Senior student teachers teach Hip Hop and Latin pop through iPad classes. The program enhances preservice teachers’ development of both comprehensive musicianship and cultural competency.
Award-winning filmmaker Martin Shore’s "Living Documentary" blends traditional filmmaking with real-time, evolving art to create interactive, dynamic storytelling. This workshop explores integrating this innovative approach into the classroom, using examples from Shore’s films Take Me To The River and Take Me To The River New Orleans and Berklee student projects.
This interactive session will take participants through a comprehensive deconstruction of a recent Hot 100 #1 hit, utilizing the proprietary methodologies and visualization tools of Hit Songs Deconstructed. Participants will also discover unique and engaging ways to teach "pop theory" to students, making complex concepts easy to understand by using the Hit Songs Deconstructed tools themselves.
This presentation explores "Illuminated Songs," a multimodal assignment in Taylor Swift-themed courses that engages general education majors in musical and lyrical analysis. By visually annotating songs, students explore themes, narrative structures, and musical elements. This accessible, interdisciplinary strategy fosters active listening, critical engagement, and highlights the cultural relevance of popular music in education.
This session examines essential skills for success in the modern music industry, including digital literacy, entrepreneurship, networking, and resilience. Attendees will gain practical insights into aligning with industry demands, navigating emerging trends, and preparing for diverse career pathways in an increasingly competitive and dynamic global music ecosystem.
