"The state of music education for children” (4-11 years) around the Mediterranean"

Since the first works on music education published by UNESCO in 1953, researches on the role of music in children's development has continued unabated. Recent studies pointed out that "nearly two-thirds of the elements inscribed in 2018 on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (ICH) lists include a notable musical component" and over 300 musical practices are associated with a role in peoples' culture. Music education is a tool for preserving cultural practices and living together through the appropriation of socio-emotional knowledge and behavior. It is also a vector for intercultural sharing and recognition of otherness.

Moreover, no article or a book offers a comprehensive study of educational approaches to music for children 4-11 years), from infancy to early adolescence in Mediterranean countries and compared them to each other.

This first international conference aims at establishing an overview of music education practices intended for children around the Mediterranean.

The conference urge to reveal the relationship between teaching and learning in music education at schools, conservatories, and musical centers, for the targeted group age in several countries around the Mediterranean, aiming at providing answers to the following questions;

• Where, what, and how do we teach music for children?
• Where, what, and how do a child understands music?

This would offer an opportunity to compare views, practices, and reflections of teachers, musicians, and educators in music education filed. The conference focuses at comparative studies of the systems, curricula, and pedagogical methodologies in music education between in different Mediterranean countries.

This conference will take place at the Inspé d'Aix-Marseille on the Aix-en-Provence site from 23 to 25 October 2024.