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The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) 2026 Biennial Music Research and Teacher Education Conference took place September 30–October 3, 2026, at the Hilton Long Beach, in Long Beach, California. NAfME welcomed the participation of future, current, and retired music educators, music teacher educators, administrators, and community and corporate partners who are passionate about the critical role of music education for all. Attendees benefited from current research, policy discourse, and dialogue concerning the human experience in music teaching and learning.

Guided by the 2026 Biennial Conference Planning Committee, the conference featured:

  • A Keynote Session with Pedro Antonio Noguera
  • The 2026 Senior Researcher Address with Colleen Conway
  • Hundreds of presentation and poster sessions selected by NAfME’s Society for Research in Music Education and Society for Music Teacher Education from the call for research proposals
  • Two mentoring sessions for emerging faculty and researchers
  • Three special sessions organized by NAfME’s Music Teacher Profession Advisory Committee

2026 Biennial Conference Keynote Speaker

Pedro Antonio Noguera headshot

Pedro Antonio Noguera, PhD

Pedro Noguera is the Dean of the Rossier School of Education, and Distinguished Professor of Education at University of Southern California (USC). He is one of the nation’s leading scholars on issues related to inequality, public policy, and education. Prior to coming to USC, he held endowed chairs at UCLA, NYU, Harvard, and the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of 15 books. His most recent book A Search for Common Ground with Rick Hess was the winner of the American Association of Publishers Prose Award in 2021. Noguera serves as an advisor to several states, school districts, foundations, NGOs, and nonprofits. In 2014 he was elected to the National Academy of Education and Phi Delta Kappa honor society, and in 2020 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Noguera has received eight honorary doctorates from American universities, most recently from his Alma Mater, Brown University. He has received awards from the Center for the Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and from the McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research at NYU for his research and advocacy efforts aimed at fighting poverty. In 2023 he was ranked 1st in the nation for influence and impact in the field of education by Education Week. Born in New York City to Caribbean immigrants, Noguera is the father of five children, and grandfather to five grandchildren.

Learn more about Pedro Noguera

2026 Biennial Conference Senior Researcher Address

Colleen Conway headshot

Colleen Conway

Colleen Conway is Professor of Music Education at The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She holds bachelors and master’s degrees in horn performance and music education from the Eastman School of Music and a doctorate in music education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Her scholarly interests include instrumental music education, preservice music teacher education, qualitative research, professional development for the in-service music teacher, and the mentoring and induction of beginning music teachers. She has presented throughout the United States and in Brazil, Canada, China, Cyprus, Macedonia, Norway, Singapore, and Sweden and has published over 120 articles on these topics in all of the major music education journals. She is currently Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Music Teacher Education and former Editor (2011–2022) of Arts Education Policy Review.

Book and edited book publications include: Great Beginning for Music Teachers: A Guide to Mentoring and Induction (Rowman & Littlefield, 2003); Handbook for the Beginning Music Teacher (GIA, 2006); Teaching Music in Higher Education (Oxford, 2009, 2019);Handbook for the Music Mentor (GIA, 2010); Handbook of Qualitative Research in American Music Education (Ed.) (Oxford, 2014, 2020) and Musicianship-Focused Curriculum and Assessment (Ed.)(GIA, 2015, 2024); The Oxford Handbook on Preservice Music Teacher Education in the United States (Ed) (Oxford, 2019); and Teaching Private Lessons: A Manual for Teachers (Conway Publications, 2019).

Photos

    2026 Biennial Conference, NAfME President Cecil Adderley with Keynote Speaker Pedro Antonio Noguera.
    NAfME President Cecil Adderley – Keynote Session, Oct 1
    Keynote Speaker Pedro Antonio Noguera, Dean of the Rossier School of Education, and Distinguished Professor of Education at University of Southern California
    Colleen Conway – Senior Researcher Address, Oct 2
    SRME Chair Phil Hash with Colleen Conway, 2026 Senior Researcher, Oct 2
    Standing ovation for Colleen Conway after her Senior Researcher address, Oct 2
    SRME Business meeting, Oct 2 (left to right): Cecil Adderley, NAfME President; Phil Hash, SRME Chair; Kelly Parkes, SRME Chair Elect and Biennial Conference Program Co-Chair; Mark Montemayor, Editor and Chair, JRME; Jason Silveira, Editor, Update
    Poster titled Culturally Responsive Education in the Music Classroom: A Cross-Contextual Review of Literature Across Different Music Classroom Settings - Rey Sunglao
    Attendees in front of a poster titled A Descriptive Analysis of All-State Orchestra Conductors 2015–2026 - Elizabeth A. Reed
    Poster titled What Do Music Programs Do to Support Undergraduate Music Majors' Mental and Emotional Health? - Debbie S. O'Connell and Karen S. Thomas
    Poster titled The Challenges and Benefits of World Music Teaching in U.S. Classrooms: A Review of Literature – poster authors Sara Durkin, Meghan D. Provost, and Anh H. Tran
    Attendees during poster presentations
    Poster titled Como Tú: Becoming and Belonging in the Lives of Latine Preservice Music Educators - Diego J. Fuentez
    Poster titled The Lived Experience of Intentional Curricular Integration in Elementary Classrooms – poster authors Daniel C. Johnson, Kristin Harney, and Amorette Languell-Pudelka
    Poster titled Institutionalizing Popular Music: A Content Analysis of All-State Contemporary Ensemble Policies and Procedures – poster authors Seth Adams, Allison Davis, and David R. DeAngelis
    Poster titled Exploring Social Psychological Theories of the Self in Music Education - Diego Pinto
    Teachers from Kodiak, Alaska, Francis Penaranda, Michelle Luna, and Serjoe Orven Gutierrez
    Some of the many attendees (113 people in all) from California at the 2026 Biennial Conference. On the far left is Cecil Adderley, NAfME President. Fifth from the left is Chad Zullinger, CMEA Past President. Fifth from the right is Jenny Gee, CMEA Vice President.
    SRME and SMTE organized two well-attended mentoring sessions for emerging researchers and faculty members. Standing on the left are Brian Weidner, SMTE Communications Chair, and Jessica Nápoles, SRME Committee Member.
    Thank you to our sponsors, exhibitors, and supporters!
    Presentation titled Collaboration with Rural Schools: The Land Grant Mission and Music Education - Angela Munroe, Jason Gossett, and Kyle T. Gray
    Presentation titled Locale in the Literature, Geographic context in U.S. music education research - Whitney Mayo
    Presentation titled Hispanic-Serving or Hispanic-Enrolling? Traits of Texas Music Education Programs at Hispanic-Serving Institutions - Victor Lozad
    Attendee in front of a presentation titled Intrapreneurs: Examining the Lived Experiences of Innovators in Secondary General Music - Michael Remy
    Wendy Sims, Co-Chair of MTPAC, speaking at one of three MTPAC sessions, “The Music Teacher, 2050: Skills, Knowledge, and Dispositions Teachers Will Need in the Future.”
    MTPAC session “Models of Change in Music Teacher Education: New Directions and Approaches.” Presenters and MTPAC committee members, from left to right, Cassandra Eisenreich, Virginia Wayman Davis, and Bryan Powell.
    MTPAC session “Leading from the Middle: Administrative Advocacy for Curricular Evolution.” From left to right, Cecil Adderley, NAfME President; Wendy Sims, MTPAC Co-Chair; Kelly Parkes, presenter, SRME Chair Elect, MTPAC Committee Member; Jared Rawlings, presenter, MTPAC Committee Member; Amanda Karhuse, NAfME Assistant Executive Director, Advocacy and Public Policy, MTPAC Staff Liaison.
    Members of the Music Teacher Profession Advisory Committee (MTPAC)
    Bryan Powell, presenting in an MTPAC session “Models of Change in Music Teacher Education: New Directions and Approaches.”

Special Thanks to the Conference Sponsors and Supporters

Berklee logo
noto logo
Ohio University logo
Westfield State University logo
California State University, Long Beach logo

2026 Biennial Music Research and Teacher Education Conference Planning Committee

  • Cecil Adderley, NAfME President and Conference Chair
  • Judy Bush, NAfME President-Elect
  • Scott Sheehan, NAfME Immediate Past President
  • James Daugherty, Immediate Past President, Southern Division; NAfME NEB Executive Committee Member (in these roles through June 2026)
  • SRME Conference Co-Chairs
    • Phillip Hash, SRME Chair
    • Kelly Parkes, SRME Chair-Elect, Biennial Program Co-Chair
    • Jessica Nápoles, SRME Conference Coordinator
  • SMTE Conference Co-Chairs
    • Tami Draves, SMTE Chair, Biennial Program Co-Chair
    • Ann Marie Stanley, SMTE Immediate Past Chair
    • Brian Weidner, SMTE Conference Chair
  • Western Division and California MEA Representatives
    • Scott Hedgecock, Western Division Immediate Past President (in these roles through June 2026)
    • Chad Zullinger, California MEA Immediate Past President

The Planning Committee is grateful to our late colleague Carlos Abril for his invaluable work as Music Teacher Profession Advisory Committee Co-Chair on the 2026 Biennial Conference. 

Staff Liaison: John Donaldson – johnd@nafme.org