Themes | Types of Submission | General Instructions for Submissions | Timelines for the 37th ISME World Conference | Contact 

The International Society for Music Education (ISME) invites you to share your research, practice and  teaching experiences in music education at the 37th ISME World Conference to be held from 26 - 31 July, 2026 at Montreal, Canada.

The conference theme is "Unity in Music Education: Building Bridges for All”. 

Music has long been a universal language that transcends cultural, social, and political barriers, fostering empathy, understanding, and connection among people of different backgrounds. In today’s world, where divisions continue to grow, the conference theme serves as a powerful and necessary statement against these divisions. By embracing inclusivity in music education, we equip future generations to appreciate diversity, collaborate harmoniously, and challenge prejudice through shared creative expression. This conference highlights the need to use music as a bridge, bringing communities together and promoting a more just and compassionate society.

 

Submissions of abstracts for paper presentations, short presentations, workshops, posters, panels and for full papers are accepted in English. Abstracts and full papers will be peer reviewed by a minimum of two experts in the field against the following criteria: scientific originality, potential interest to the community, clarity of presentation, technical correctness, and appropriate use of language.

 

Authors of accepted abstracts and full papers will be invited to present their work at the 2026 ISME World Conference at Montreal, as full papers, short papers, paper presentations, posters, workshops, and panels. Accepted abstracts and full papers that have been revised to address reviewer comments will be published in the Abstract book and the Conference proceedings respectively.
 

Before submitting your abstracts, please read the following carefully 

• Guidelines for Authors
• Presentation and Publication Ethics for the 37th ISME World Conference

Under the overarching conference theme, we invite you to submit your abstracts under the following topics:

Note: An author may present in up to 4 types of submissions in total - including paper presentations, full papers, short papers, workshops, and panels - but may be the first author on only two of them. You may submit up to 2 poster abstracts.

Here is a broad overview of the different types of submissions:

For more details on each type of session, please look under Session Formats in the Guidelines for Authors.

• Title should not exceed 15 words.
   
• References may be included but will not be counted toward the abstract word count
   
• Do not include diagrams and tables in abstracts
   
• The paper presentations and short paper presentations, if accepted, will not be published in the conference proceedings.
   
• The full paper presentations, if accepted, will be published in the conference proceedings. Up to two tables and diagrams may be included in the full paper. Both the abstract and the full paper must be submitted at the same time before the deadline. 
  See here for further guidelines on full papers. Download the full paper template here.
• For workshops, you may request equipment or instruments at the time of submission, but availability is not guaranteed.
   
• Poster specifications will be provided on acceptance of abstracts.
   
• Panels (also previously referred to as symposia) are 90-minute sessions exploring diverse viewpoints on a focused topic, featuring 3-6 presentations, including a chair, who will ideally submit the abstract. Panelists are responsible for defining the topic, selecting participants, and outlining the session format. Submissions must include an 800-word abstract, ensuring anonymity by omitting author identification. Chairs and panelists must be ISME members and should possess relevant expertise to effectively steer the session. 
   
• Please note that your abstract may be accepted under a different submission category than originally submitted. For example, a full paper or paper presentation may be accepted as a short paper or poster instead. You will be asked to confirm whether you accept this change in category.

2026 Timelines

• For general queries (how to submit, creating an account on the submissions portal, etc), contact isme26@mci-agency.com
   
• For any queries related to abstracts or full papers, please contact the Scientific Committee at: scientific-chair@isme.org
   
• For queries relating to your ISME account (how to join, renew or edit your ISME profile), contact comms@isme.org 

• 2026 ISME World Conference: Call for Papers
• Guidelines for Authors
• Presentation and Publications Ethics 
• Guidelines for Full Paper Submissions