One hundred years ago, Frances Elliot Clark dreamed of a time “When that great convention can sit together […] and listen as one mind and heart to great world music common to all and loved by all, then shall real world goodwill be felt and realized” (quoted in Volk 1998). 40 years later, the 1967 Tanglewood Declaration heralded contemporary approaches to cultural diversity in music education, stating that “music of all periods, styles, forms, and cultures belongs in the curriculum. The musical repertory should be expanded to involve music of our time in its rich variety, including […] the music of other cultures” (Choate, 1968). 30 years later, the 1990s became a Golden Age of “world music” education. Then, in the early 2000s, there was a distinct withdrawing from dealing with diversity. Only during the second and third decade of the 21st century, the topic returned as DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) in liberal circles -now drawing increasing hostility from the political right.So where are we another thirty years later? Surely there is much to celebrate, but it is also a time to ask critical questions about the rate, the depth, and the breadth of what has been achieved so far. Based on my close involvement over five decades, I will discuss continuing challenges in five key areas:1. Terminology. Words to refer to music practices of other cultures and their relationship to music of the hosting country have gone through many iterations. How have these terminologies affected the position and respect for global music practices and musicians?2. The politics of diversity. Societies around the world have oscillated between strongly monocultural ideologies to transcultural ones (rainbow nation). Do terms like cultural diversity and DEI represent or trigger real shifts in people’s actions and awareness?3. Institutionalisation. There are tensions between the structures of institutions and the nature of music practices deeply rooted in other concepts of community, creativity and transmission. Have we advanced in accommodating these?4. Pedagogical systems. We celebrate the rich diversity of global music practices, but when we incorporate them into our educational systems, do we risk reducing them to material repackaged in traditional curriculum structures?5. Social inclusion and justice. Ingrained sets of values, narrow definitions of success, high costs and implied prestige of formal music education have excluded millions from participating in formal music education. How far have we come in addressing those?