COMMISSION FOR THE EDUCATION OF THE PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN

20 - 23 July, 2026

CEPROM - Home Call for Papers

Commission for the Education of the Professional Musician

ISME Commission Pre-Conference Seminar

Call for Papers 2026

Theme

Breaking down barriers to thriving music careers: Building community and connection

Dates

20 – 23 July, 2026

Venue

Conservatoire de musique de Québec,
Canada

We are pleased to announce that the Call for Submissions for the 26th CEPROM International Seminar, hosted by the Conservatoire de musique de Québec 2026 is open. Our theme in 2026 is Breaking down barriers to thriving music careers: Building community and connection. We invite musicians, students, teachers and researchers to share their research, observations, experiences, and practice exploring barriers to and opportunities for thriving and connection from a wide range of perspectives and angles. The seminar provides a great opportunity to connect with like-minded colleagues over an inspiring and intensive few days of sharing and discussion, and to make the most of the wonderful facilities of the Conservatoire de musique de Québec, located just steps from Québec City’s UNESCO World Heritage listed old town.
Submissions might address the following questions:

What are the intersectional challenges that create barriers to successful careers in music, and how can these be overcome?
How do we best support musicians to develop thriving careers at a time when work-related inequality is growing and well-being is in decline?
What are the emerging opportunities, challenges and threats to the music professions, and to viable music careers, both now and in the future?

We are looking for examples of research, educational and artistic best practice, transformation, community, connection and collaboration we can learn from to prepare musicians, and the music professions, for a future world that needs the harmony and hope offered by music more than ever.

Submission types at a glance

Type of submissions	Abstract word limit	Duration (mins)	Max No. of Co-Presenters / Panelists	Max No. of Co- Authors
Full Papers (will be published in Proceedings)	400 for abstract + 3000 for full paper	15 min + 10 min	1 - 2	Unlimited
Demonstration	400 words	30 min	1 - 2	1 - 2
Posters	400 words	5 min	1 - 2	1 - 2
Workshops	400 words	45 min +10 min	1 - 2	1 - 2
Pecha Kucha	400 words	max 7 mins	1	1
Roundtable	800 words	90 min	3 - 6	3 - 6

Important Dates

Abstract Submission Deadline   :   31 October, 2025
Result notification                        :   TBA
Registrations will open                :   TBA

Submission Guidelines

Go to Submission Guidelines Page

Multiple submissions Policy for CEPROM

Number of Submissions per Author: Each author can submit one abstract.
Number of Presenters per Abstract: Please check the table above.

Pathways to Publication for CEPROM

All accepted abstracts will be included in the Conference Proceedings
All accepted abstract titles will appear in the Conference Program
All accepted Full Spoken Papers will be published in the Conference Proceedings

Pathways to 37th ISME World Conference, Montreal

All accepted abstracts from the Pre-Conference Seminars will have the opportunity to be presented as Posters at the 37th World Conference at Montreal in July 2026. You will be extended an invitation once your Pre-conference Seminar abstract is accepted.

Copyright Agreement

At the time of a Full Paper submission, presenters must indicate agreement with the following copyright conditions:

I hereby assign to the International Society for Music Education (ISME), copyright of the Full Paper I am now submitting for use by the Society in all formats and through any medium of communication if it is accepted for Publication in the refereed Pre-conference Seminar Proceedings.

I understand that the Full Paper I am submitting will be refereed for possible
inclusion in the Pre-conference Seminar Proceedings and that it may also appear on the ISME web site.
I confirm that the Full Paper is original and has not been published previously nor is currently under consideration elsewhere, that I have obtained all necessary permissions for the reproduction of content not owned by me (e.g., illustrations, photographs, charts, and other visual material, etc.) not owned by me, and that the Contribution contains no unlawful statements and does not infringe any rights of others.
I understand that I will retain copyright of the original submission for purposes of duplicating the article, placing it on my personal and institutional websites, etc., but will give ISME the first and exclusive rights to publish the ISME-formatted and edited version in print or online in ISME Conference or Pre-conference Seminar Proceedings and/or journals.
I understand that if my Full Paper is not selected for publication in the Pre-conference Seminar Proceedings, then upon such notification the copyright will revert back me (the author).

Submission Types In Detail

Full Papers

Spoken papers are for presenters that wish to have a fully refereed paper considered for publication in the Seminar Proceedings. They will be allocated 30 minutes, consisting of no more than 15 minutes for the presentation and a maximum of 10 minutes for questions and discussion.
Spoken papers are to be submitted in full (3000 words) along with a 400 word abstract and will be published in the CEPROM proceedings if accepted. A total of 15-20 papers will be accepted.
For the Commission Pre-Conference Seminar, full papers must be submitted. Abstract-only submissions will not be considered.
Complete paper submissions should be between 2500 and 3000 words in length. No more than a total of two (2) tables and/or figures may be included in the full paper. These papers must include an Abstract (400 words) for publication with the paper. All Paper submissions must conform to the Guidelines for Authors, using the template provided on the submission website. All papers will be fully (double-blind) refereed, and those chosen for inclusion in the seminar will be published in the Pre-Conference Seminar Proceedings. Additionally, authors of accepted papers will be invited to present their work as posters at the main ISME conference. Submissions will be removed from consideration if the paper includes the author’s identification or exceeds the word limit.

Demonstration

Creative Practice demonstrations including lecture/performances, and research-informed innovative pedagogical practices that support professional musician development. For demonstrations of software or other equipment authors will be responsible for ensuring that the necessary equipment is available. Submissions must therefore include a full description of the equipment and facilities needed. Demonstrations will have a 30 minute time slot, consisting of no more than 20 minutes for the performance component and 10 minutes for discussion/questions. NB: We are open to proposals from groups that are larger than 1 – 2 performers, but final selections will be dependent upon technical and venue capacity and performer requirements.

Posters

Submissions for poster presentations at CEPROM will be accepted. Abstracts of 400 words should be submitted for Poster consideration. Authors of accepted Posters are invited to bring with them a Poster to display during the Seminar. Poster specifications (size, format, etc.) will be provided upon acceptance. Titles of the Poster will appear in the Seminar Program and the Abstracts will be printed in the CEPROM proceedings. Posters will be grouped into sessions that have designated time slots during CEPROM.
Additionally, full-paper submissions that are not accepted for presentation as spoken papers at the Seminar may be eligible to be considered for presentation as Posters at the seminar meeting. This is not to be confused with the poster presentation at the main ISME conference mentioned above.

Workshops

A workshop provides an opportunity to work on a common problem and exchange information through a hands-on activity or an interactive approach. They are a great opportunity to experience key ideas and concepts in practice, and to connect with other seminar participants.
A workshop submission consists of an abstract of 400 words in length. The abstract should clearly provide background information, the purpose of the workshop, content, method, and applications for music education.
Sessions will have designated time-slots, normally a total of 60 minutes, consisting of no more than 45 minutes for the Workshop and 10 minutes for the discussion/questions, with 5 minutes between sessions.

Pecha Kucha

To encourage the participation of graduate students / early career researchers from around the world who may find it hard to meet the costs of an international trip, there is the opportunity to send presentations in the form of a Pecha Kucha. This option is not open to professional researchers or academics. An abstract of 400 words in length should be submitted for Pecha Kucha consideration. The selected abstracts will be included in the Seminar proceedings. The Pecha-Kucha presentations will be grouped in a special time slot.
Presentations in pecha kucha format must comply with the following directions:

Prepare a 20-slide presentation, along with a recorded oral explanation of it.
The slides must be presented in a maximum of 20 seconds each.
The total presentation must be six minutes and forty seconds.
You can see an example of a Pecha Kucha presentation here and use one of the instructional videos available on the Internet, like this one, to create your own. It would be wonderful to be online to participate in a Q&A after the pecha kucha.

Roundtable

Roundtables are fully planned sessions to a specific topic area involving multiple presenters and a chair. A specific time slot will be allocated for roundtables, depending on the number of presenters/panellists involved in a submission. The roundtable convenor (chair) must supply all the information required by the online submission system.
A roundtable submission consists of an abstract of 800 words in length. The abstract should clearly provide background information, the purpose of the roundtable, and the ways in which it examines a specific education problem or topic from a variety of perspectives. Roundtables are expected to make a distinctive and creative contribution to the CEPROM seminar. Geographical and gender diverse roundtables preferred.
Roundtable sessions provide an interesting frame for the exploration of a particular problem. We welcome your proposals for roundtable discussions that bring together diverse perspectives (ideally from different geographic locations), approaches and specific examples of best practice.

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