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!
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In this session, we will explore a qualitative study in which high school participants in nontraditional (modern band) music classes detailed narratives related to student agency. We will discuss the findings and implications for future research.
The Power of Student Voice: Define student voice and its significance in curriculum co-construction, drawing on research findings.
Insights from the Field: Share qualitative data from teacher interviews and student focus groups to illustrate the impact of integrating student perspectives.
Discussion Catalyst: Pose questions about the barriers and opportunities for amplifying student voice in music education to inspire further conversation.
Practical Strategies: Offer actionable recommendations for educators to create inclusive and collaborative music curricula.
This session explores modern approaches to music course design, focusing on industry relevance, digital skills, and interdisciplinary collaboration. It examines how project-based learning and portfolio assessment enhance professional readiness and progression to HE. Attendees will gain practical strategies to align popular music education with the demands of today’s creative industries.
This presentation examines the potential benefits and challenges of implementing informal music learning in formal school music contexts and raises critical questions. This session may benefit school music teachers who wish to expand their music teaching horizons and accommodate music students’ diverse music learning needs and interests.
Arranging and interpreting pop songs collaboratively, with groups of 10, 15 or 25 members, is a challenging and rewarding experience. I want to show how we can tackle these group processes by offering structure and cultivating openness. After a warm-up with participatory elements, we sing and play a pop song together. I give some input to get started, and then leave space for developing ideas. We will make the song our own by changing roles and taking artistic decisions together. Own instruments are welcome!
Composing and Improvising in the Music Classroom: Ideas and techniques to support the early stages of group composition, encouraging creative music-making. Designed to develop key skills in performing, listening, composing, and improvising by breaking down a musical example into simple rhythmic and melodic riffs, transforming it, improvising on its various elements before using these as the basis for pupils own creative compositions.
The session examines gender and positionality in digitally-supported music education, highlighting how media reinforce stereotypes. It critiques the exclusion of marginalized groups through biased technology and representation. Solutions include positionality, active unlearning, and counter-storytelling, fostering inclusivity in music education by addressing power structures and promoting reflective, creative practices.
This session explores how popular music set works are analyzed in GCSE and A Level curricula, questioning the authenticity of current methods. It highlights gaps in traditional frameworks, suggesting inclusive pedagogical approaches to better represent the cultural and stylistic dimensions of popular music for deeper student engagement and learning.
As modern band programs continue to expand across the U.S., so too has the presence of modern band honor ensembles. This session will explore the process, challenges, and innovations of modern band honor ensembles, from audition to performance, with an emphasis on student agency and musical diversity.
This doctoral research explored the development of a framework aimed at transforming UK music education to be more inclusive, diverse, and equitable, particularly for Black pupils. This research aims to offer concrete recommendations for educators and policymakers to foster a more culturally responsive and equitable music education system that resonates with and benefits all students.
The BIG question: How can we balance the old with the new... academics with originality? In this session, we’ll explore ways to update music curricula so students get the best of both worlds, strong foundational skills alongside the creative tools they need to thrive in today’s professional music scene.
