Social justice and human rights are frequently used synonymously in an almost symbiotic relationship - a just society is one in which the rights of all are protected. Social justice discourses permeate arguments on all the ‘isms’ that both beleaguer and hold our time to account - racism, sexism, ageism, ableism, classism, and more - and that impact all spheres of social engagement within an interlocking system operating at personal, interpersonal, institutional and cultural levels. Applying the principles of social justice to education enacts a politics of recognition and redistribution, democracy and emancipatory actions, awareness of diversity regarding race, privilege, disability, and equity. However, the concept of social justice per se is entangled and complex, demanding similarly complex thinking in those who try to unravel and apply it to domains of engagement.Interrogating educational practice using the lenses of social justice can drive critique and analysis of the positionalities of teaching and learning. We are voices from what is termed the Global South a provocative and contested term that adopts a ‘Southern’ perspective to social theory long dominated by Northern, Eurocentric, and imperialist thinking. We use “South” not as a location, but as a state of mind in which we challenge past assumptions, including those which we carry ourselves as we emerge from the colonial past.We thus look beyond lines on the map south of the equator across diverse countries and communities, particularly those that have negotiated colonialization and that value Indigenous ways of knowing and being into the spheres of education philosophy, policy, and practice.We utilise music education as a lens through which knowledge sharing may stimulate thinking about ways to create more equitable, inclusive, accessible, and emancipatory practices in music education. Perceiving how musickers make and tell stories that are situated within diverse and unique historical, political, and social contexts, we discuss how music education within the ‘south’ provides opportunities for socially inclusive and culturally responsive curriculum and pedagogy, realising ideals of empathy and responsiveness, but also music and art that challenges established practice norms, resisting authoritarianism, hegemony, and hierarchical social and educational practices, while championing social justice issues.Whilst applying social justice principles to music teaching and learning can be troubling and complicated, particularly when we use Indigenous and post-colonial ways of looking, hearing, and understanding, simplistic discourses negate the rich tapestry of musical practice, and how this is understood We point to human dispositions that are particularly relevant in facilitating change in music teaching and learning: Curiosity, introspection, reciprocity, and leadership. We finally point to how issues of inclusion and social justice requires an integrated approach, in which critical reflection is interwoven into pedagogy that promotes students thinking and behaving as a community of musicians. Areas for discussion include:“Social Justice and School Music Curricula: Accommodations and Inequities” considers recent Australian curriculum and world view developments, critically analysing the balancing between excellence and populist agendas and the demise of rigorous knowledge and skills in music.“Reflections on Indigenous academic experiences” , explores how Indigenisation in higher music education can challenge colonial norms. Anchored in student relationships, colleague advocacy, and an ethic of restoration, decolonisation is considered as both disruption and opportunity and where Indigenous knowledge systems beyond the Western canon foster empathy, courage, and curiosity, the reimagining of disciplinary values, encouraging music education to delink from epistemic privilege.“Access and Equity in Music Education for People with Disabilities”: explores instrumental music learning and the inclusion of people with a disability. Beyond technologies and methods that facilitate activity, the positing of adaptive, creative pedagogy, language, attitudes, and culture that supports engagement and agency for all in music.“Social Justice in Children’s Songs: Emancipatory attributes of childhood music making” analyses children’s song lyrics, observation of playground behaviour, and social justice as a cultural factor, interrogating how early human musicking encourages emancipatory practices to ensure social inclusion and empowering social justice actions“Social justice and the Afghanistan National Institute of Music” explores the restoration of musical rights, fostering of gender equity, and education for disadvantaged children. Beyond narratives of success, a critical lens is used to examine how promises of transformation translated into lived realities, highlighting some of the cultural, political, and ethical complexities of music education as social justice. By examining global perspectives notions of fairness, inclusion, and social justice this panel critically reflects on our teaching and learning encounters with others, examining how might educators envision justice in their teaching and learning, and how might this be operationalized in finding a unity and the building of educational bridges and social justice for all. We challenge all educators to reflect on the connection between what we hope for ethically, what we do, why we do it, and what the social justice and agentic outcomes might be for our students.