Call for Papers

2025 marked a significant milestone for the Royal Musical Association’s Southeast Asia Chapter – its 10th anniversary.  Since its inception, the chapter has fostered a vibrant community of scholars, educators, and musicians committed to advancing musicology research and practice in the region and beyond.  In keeping with this spirit, our (slightly belated) anniversary conference celebrates a decade of musical scholarship, practice, and collaboration in music.  In collaboration with Singapore’s Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (now part of the new University of the Arts), it will act as a catalyst for musicological research in the region, focusing on three core themes: 

1. Creative and Inclusive Music Pedagogies 

This theme centres on transformative approaches to music teaching and learning.  How can music pedagogies address diverse needs and create inclusive spaces?  Topics may include, but are not limited to, creative pedagogies in response to AI, accessibility in music education, and new teaching methods that bridge cultural or socio-economic divides. 

2. Global Musicology in Practice 

How do we engage with music and dance across borders, traditions, and contexts?  This theme examines the practical application of global musicology, investigating how localised practices inform and are informed by international theoretical discourses.  Submissions may focus on methodological and/or ethical issues.  

3. Performance and Performance Practices 

How does performance function as a site of artistic, pedagogical, and research inquiry? Across studio, rehearsal, classroom, and public contexts—particularly in Southeast Asia—performance practices shape musical identities, disciplinary knowledge, and living traditions. Practice-led perspectives are welcomed that view performance not merely as an outcome, but as a process through which knowledge is generated, embodied, and critically examined, including performance as research and pedagogy, negotiations between tradition and innovation, culturally situated practices, and the role of technology. 

The conference will include a range of professional development opportunities, including research-led practical workshops, focusing, for example, on mentoring for students, acting tuition for singers, and on keyboard performance practices.  

Submission Guidelines:  

We welcome submissions for individual papers (20 mins + 10 mins Q&A), panels (3 papers - 90 mins), workshops (1 or 2 hours), lecture-recitals (1 hour) and short recitals (30 mins).

Proposals should clearly indicate the theme they address and provide:  

• A title   

• An abstract (maximum 300 words)  

• A short biography of the presenter(s) (maximum 150 words each)  

Please submit your proposal via this form by 15 February 2026.  Selected presenters will be notified by the end of February 2026.

There will be a limited number of student scholarships available – please indicate your interest in the submission form.  

Selected papers may be considered for publication. 

 
For inquiries, please contact:

• Dr Rebecca Kan: ypkan@nafa.edu.sg;

• Prof Monika Hennemann: hennemannm@cardiff.ac.uk; and/or

• Dr Ruth Rodrigues: rodrigues.ruth@ri.edu.sg 

Conference Steering Committee:

• Prof Monika Hennemann (Cardiff University, UK) (RMA Southeast Asia Chapter Convenor)

• Dr Rebecca Kan (Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, University of the Arts, Singapore) (Local Organising Chairperson)

• Dr Poumpak Charuprakorn (Silpakorn University, Thailand)

• Dr Ch’ng Xin Ying (UCSI University, Malaysia)

• Dr Joe Davies (NYU, Abu Dhabi)

• Dr Low Chee Meng (UCSI University, Malaysia)

• Dr Ruth Rodrigues (Raffles Institution, Singapore) (RMA Southeast Asia Chapter Co-Convenor)

• Dr Yue Zhuo (Cardiff University, UK)