CALL FOR PAPERS | ISME Regional Conferences

5th ISME South Asia Regional Conference

November 19–21, 2025
Vivanta Hotel, Kathmandu, Nepal

Conference Theme : Music education and sustainability

ISME SARC 2025: Call For Papers

The 2025 ISME South Asia Regional Conference engages with the idea of sustainability, an issue of utmost urgency around the world in all fields, as upheavals of change permeate communities, societies, and our natural environment. With this theme, the conference builds upon the theme of the 2024 World Conference in Helsinki, Advocacy for Sustainability in Music Education, recognising the world’s failure to deliver on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and the call for a transition towards a new social contract and a radical renewal of the collective understanding of professional responsibilities in all educational sectors (Unesco, 2021). We emphasise that ISME’s strategic goals aim to align with the goals of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Indeed, gender equality, reduced inequalities, peace-building and justice, climate action, and quality education, which are all among the Sustainable Development Goals, are highly relevant in music education and music culture. As global policies highlight the intertwined nature of problems of sustainability, matters of sustainability in music education are also not simply about livelihoods and the longevity of music and music education itself, but about how music educators are able to transform their practices and understandings to support collective strivings towards a more sustainable society.

While not excluding any of the interconnected aspects of sustainable development, the 2025 ISME South Asia Regional Conference emphasises the importance of gender equality and inclusion in music education in South Asia and beyond. We lean on UNICEF’s statement, according to which tackling “the root causes of gender inequality” is required for “bold transformative change” (see UNICEF, Gender Action Plan, 2022–2025). We encourage insightful presentations dealing with any music education context, including communities, schools, and cultural institutions in South Asia, while also welcoming other regions or global perspectives.

The following themes are offered to guide conference presenters, however, other themes are also welcomed

Interventions and activism in music education towards sustainability
Climate action, peace-building, and social inclusion intertwining music education and professional musicians’ work
Leadership, entrepreneurship, and networking towards sustainable development
Gender politics and issues of sustainability in professional education in music
Sustainability and gender equality in musical heritage contexts and Indigenous communities
Girls and women as transformative change-makers in South Asian musical landscapes and music education
Gender and public music performance, gender-inclusive role models in music
Economic sustainability of music and music education programs in South Asia

PRESENTATION MODES

You are invited to submit proposals for any of the following:

Presentation

20 minutes in duration with
10 minutes for discussion

Panel

60 minutes in duration with
discussion built into the session

Workshop

45 minutes in duration with
discussion built into the session

Submission Guidelines

Proposals should be 300–500 words excluding references (max. 700 words for panels).
Proposals will be blind reviewed by a review panel on the basis of quality, critical engagement, and relevance to the conference theme.
Kindly keep your abstract anonymized. Please provide your personal information only in the places indicated in the submission form. Any reference to the author’s identity may result in rejection of that abstract.
Please submit an abstract only once even if the submission has multiple authors.
Anyone can submit a proposal regardless of ISME membership.
However, if accepted, please note that Nepali ISME members will receive a discounted registration fee compared to non-members.
International presenters are required to have an active ISME membership to present at Kathmandu.
Attendance at this conference is open to all non-presenters, regardless of ISME membership.
Become an ISME member today! Your membership will be valid till the 2026 ISME World Conference at Montreal!