COMMUNITY MUSIC ACTIVITY

21 - 24 July, 2026

CMA - Home Call for Papers

Community Music Activity

ISME Commission Pre-Conference Seminar 2026

Theme

Relationality in the midst of conflict: difference, dialogue, and possibility in community music

Dates

21-24 July, 2026

Venue

University of Toronto Scarborough,
Canada

Welcome Message from Commission Chair

The Community Music Activity Commission (CMA) is very happy and grateful for the next CMA pre conference to be hosted by the University of Toronto Scarborough in collaboration with SoundLife Scarborough and The Laurier Centre for Music in the Community. Our host partners have deep connections with community music and with the CMA Community. We welcome you to join us in Canada in July 2026, to engage in reflecting, discussing, and exploring the pre-conference theme, “Relationality in the midst of conflict: difference, dialogue, possibility in Community Music”

Dr. Alicia de Bánffy-Hall
CMA Chair

Welcome Message from Local Hosts

The Laurier Centre for Music in the Community (LCMC) is a research centre dedicated to fostering evidence-based participatory music practice, and we are proud to partner with Soundlife Scarborough and University of Toronto Scarborough campus to host the 2026 Community Music Activity Commission Seminar. We are located about 100 km southwest of Toronto in the city of Waterloo, on the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinaabe, and the Neutral People. We can’t wait to share the rich tapestry of music cultures and participatory projects with you!

Dr. Deanna Yerichuk
Director, Laurier Centre for Music in the Community

Welcome Message from Local Hosts

The University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) is proud to serve as the site of the 2026 Community Music Activity Commission pre-conference seminar, July 21-24, 2026. Our beautiful and vibrant campus, located in Scarborough, one of Canada’s most richly diverse communities, is situated on the traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Chippewa, the Wendat, and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.
SoundLife Scarborough, UTSC’s research centre for music and community engagement, in partnership with the LCMC will serve as the coordinating hosts for the seminar, which will provide a space for for sharing research, innovative ideas, and practical experiences, while contributing to ongoing dialogues and collaborations in the field of community music. The commitments of SoundLife Scarborough and the LCMC to fostering inclusive and accessible spaces for music-making and education will be evident throughout the event, with opportunities for hands-on participation, community engagement, and cultural exchange.

Prof. Lynn Tucker
Co-Founder/Co-Director SoundLife Scarborough

About Community Music Activity

The CMA demonstrates strong leadership in the music education field with its longstanding commitment to the principles of inclusivity, equity, and hospitality, and their application in practice. Members are critically conscious community music facilitators and researchers, frequently working in complex social settings and often at the forefront of discussions around inclusive musical practices and equitable access.

The commission was established in 1982, with Einar Solbu from Norway as the chair. Previously it had been Education of the Amateur Commission (1974), with Magdalena Stokowska (Poland) as the chair. The name changed in 1976 to the Out of School Activities Commission with André Ameller (France) as the chair from 1976-1982. The first independent seminar was held in 1988.

Vision

The present commission is offering this snapshot of our current vision as a working document, acknowledging it will continue to evolve as the field develops. CMA believes that everyone has the right and ability to make, create, and enjoy their own music and that active music making should be encouraged and supported at all ages and at all levels of society. The CMA strives to work towards inclusivity, equity, cultural democracy, social justice, and hospitality, and context-dependent applications of these foundational principles in music-making practice. Within CMA we consider, explore, and celebrate communities’ expressions of artistic, social, political, and cultural concerns.

Mission

The mission of CMA is to:

Facilitate the exchange of information on areas relevant to the field of community music
Encourage debate and dialogue on different international perspectives on community music and on current issues within the field
Encourage international cooperation
Enter into dialogue with musicians and music educators in related fields and maintain an open space for all kinds of conversations
Disseminate research and other information
Engage in meaningful conversations with creatives, professionals and educators on varied global views across musical disciplines, community music and its evolving dimensions
Broaden access to research and vital insights
Facilitate the exchange of knowledge sharing pertinent to community music
Promote collaboration

CMA accomplishes its mission through holding symposia and regional conferences, often in partnership with organisations outside ISME. It also organises a seminar immediately before each world conference.