The Association for Popular Music Education is pleased to announce our 2024 conference will be held at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, CA, USA, from June 5–8, 2024. The conference will be held in person and virtually in a hybrid setting.
When considering the history of popular music education, what types of knowledge, experiences, and practices shape how we engage with popular music? As a community of teachers, researchers, students, and musicians, how do our diverse backgrounds in popular music impact how we approach the learning space? What is popular music education, who is popular music education for, and where does popular music education go from here?
When troubling the need for a concrete definition of popular music, Bowman (2004) noted that “popular music is not an ‘it’ but a ‘them’ – a vast, multifarious, and fluid range of musical practices with remarkably different in divergent intentions, values, potentials, and affordances” (p. 34). If we parallel this notion to the individuals and practices that embody the field of popular music education, one could suggest that those who engage in popular music education do not form a homogenous collective, but rather serve to fashion an interconnected group of “remarkably different” individuals and practices.
Much like the modern-day portfolio musician, the popular music education field has developed over time into an interdisciplinary field to include various creative, performing, learning, research, and teaching practices that overlap and weave through one another, with each element of the field impacting the others to form a complex ecosystem. Thinking back to Bowman’s (2004) assertion of popular music, how do our community’s “divergent intentions, values, potentials, and affordances” contribute to the breadth and depth of an education in popular music? How are these seemingly divergent practices enacted in the classroom, in the rehearsal, and on the stage? Further, how might these creative practices break down and transform the attitudes and habitual silos often encountered in music education? How do we recognize and celebrate our community and, through this process, nurture a greater sense of belonging in popular music education?
The APME conference offers a space for our multi-faceted and fluid community to come together to learn from and with each other. In doing so, we serve as a vibrant ecosystem that helps to promote and advance popular music at all levels of education, both in the classroom and beyond. We invite you to connect with, learn from, and contribute to our community as we consider our past while looking toward the future of popular music education.
Submissions closed on December 1, 2023
Invited Presenters were notified January 15, 2024
Conference Registration
Registration for the 2024 conference will open on February 1 and will be accessible through our Sched conference app. To access registration and download the app, click the Sched logo below.
Conference registration fees
Individual – $245
K–12 Teacher — $125
Student — $50
Supporting California K–12 Teachers
In our continued efforts to support local music education communities in our conference locations, APME is offering FREE conference registration to the first 50 California K–12 teachers who register for the conference. Please contact us at conference@popularmusiceducation.org if you are interested in taking advantage of this opportunity and joining us in Los Angeles. We hope to see you there!
Supporting BIPOC and First-time Attendees
In our continued efforts to promote access and equitable experiences, APME is offering a limited number of registration fee waivers and discounts for participants to attend the conference in person or virtually.
We seek applications from participants who meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Are a first-time conference participant;
- Are a part of an underrepresented group in popular music education (including, but not limited to, a member of the BIPOC, AAPI, LGBTQIA+ communities); and/or
- Demonstrate financial need
The deadline to apply was March 1, 2024. We will notify invited applicants by March 20, 2024. If you have any questions, please contact us at conference@popularmusiceducation.org Please note there is a separate application for registration fee support for graduate students.
Supporting Graduate Students
Graduate students are an important part of the popular music education community. As they continue their studies in higher education, it is essential that APME support graduate students as they create a network of like-minded educators who share their passions for both education and popular music. With this in mind, APME is offering a limited amount of financial support on registration fees for graduate students to attend the conference in person or virtually.
Additionally, we are also looking for a limited number of graduate students interested in supporting the conference through serving as a valued member of our onsite conference support team. In return for your commitment and service, APME will offer financial support on registration fees and onsite housing. If either of these supports interest you, please fill out this form. Please note this opportunity is for graduate students only.
The deadline to apply was March 15, 2024. If you have any questions, please contact us at conference@popularmusiceducation.org
Teacher Continuing Education Credits
We are excited to announce that we are partnering with California State University, Long Beach to offer CEUs to teachers for conference attendance. We will update application information as it becomes available.
Hotel Information
We are coordinating with a select number of downtown Los Angeles hotels to provide conference housing for attendees at a discounted rate. Information on rates and applicable dates will be updated as we contract with hotels. While these options are not within walking distance of the USC campus, they are accessible to the Los Angeles Metro Rail and bus service and all that downtown Los Angeles has to offer. Additionally, we are exploring the use of a shuttle service as an additional transportation option. Please contact the hotel and mention the conference to receive the discounted conference rate.
The Wayfarer
813 S Flower Street
213-285-4400
$189 plus tax and destination fee
Available June 5–9
Book by May 6, 2024
Click here to book The Wayfarer online
E-Central Hotel
1020 S Figueroa Street
213–748–1291
$209 plus tax, waived destination fee
Available June 5–9
Book by May 6, 2024
First night and tax non-refundable
Click here to book the E-Central online
The Hoxton
1060 South Broadway
213–725-5900
$189 plus tax & destination fee (June 4–5)
$269 plus tax & destination fee (June 6–9)
Book by April 5, 2024
Local Information
There are a number of restaurants, shopping, and services at the USC Village, conveniently located within a 5-minute walk of the conference location. Additionally, there are multiple modes of transportation available including the Los Angeles Metro bus and rail system. USC is located on the E line of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system.
APME LIVE Student Festival
The Association for Popular Music Education welcomes applications from student ensembles and soloists to participate in the APME LIVE Student Festival to be held at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, CA, on June 5–8, 2024.
This non-competitive festival will provide an encouraging educational atmosphere for all to perform for peers and the local community and also take part in sessions to learn from a team of outstanding popular music clinicians and professional musicians. All middle school, high school, and collegiate popular music ensembles, producers, and soloists from ALL GENRES are encouraged to participate.