Report from Helsinki: Eighth International Society for Philosophy of Music Education meeting
June 15, 2010
Happy Summer Philosophy SRIG Members!
Hope the beginning of this summer is finding everyone well and you are all finding time to read and rest.
Many of us just came back from Helsinki, Finland where the Eighth International Society for Philosophy of Music Education meeting took place with record numbers. As we all know it is impossible to attend every conference in every place of the world so I thought you might be interested in some of the conference highlights.
While the conference was engaging because of the high level of presentations and discussions, this was a particularly exciting year. A week previous to the conference in Helsinki a group came together at a compound outside of Helsinki that is run by the Sibelius Academy to think through, as students and professors, what it means to construct and develop philosophical papers. Each day of the retreat was dedicated to focused presentations, guided discussions led by Professor Phillip Alperson and Professor Pentti Määttänen, as well as small group working sessions on individual papers. We came together for every meal and met each night for music and discussion and just a few beers! We enjoyed glorious sun each day (that lasted long into the evening) and birds who felt the need to wake us each morning at 4:00 am! It was a remarkable week and I believe I speak for everyone who was in attendance when I say we look forward to this kind of gathering a week before every ISPME conference. Thank you very much to Heidi Westerlund and Randall Allsup, and PhD students, Alexis Robertson and Andries Odendaa for making this a week none will forget.
This was also the 20th anniversary of this conference. Twenty years ago Estelle Jorgenson saw the need for such a gathering and bought together an international community of music educator philosophers to meet and discuss these issues at Indiana University. What began with few but committed scholars has now blossomed into a vibrant community of international scholars from (as represented during this past conference) India, Spain, Germany, Russia, Greece, Finland, USA, Costa Rica, Australia, Canada, Latvia, Estonia, South Africa, Taiwan, Denmark, Sweden, Norway.
A huge thanks to Heidi Westerlund, Randall Allsup, Werner Jenk, and the contact symposium person, Marja Heimonen for their hard work and dedication in making this a most successful conference. I have no idea how this was ever done without email! It was a wonderful conference.
During our business meeting it was decided that the conference will return to years that do not conflict with the International Society for Music Education meeting. So mark you calendars now for the 9th International meeting to be held in 2013 during the beginning of the northern hemisphere summer months at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City.
Have a great summer and great reading!
Cathy Benedict
For more information on this past conference and a look at the program:
