Call for Papers: Joint Conference of the New Zealand Musicological Society and the Musicological Society of Australia

29 November – 3 December 2025

Hosts: University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
Venue: Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts, University of Waikato, Knighton Road, Hamilton, NZ
Convenors: University of Waikato with support from Waikato Institute of Technology
Organisation: reviews of papers and programming by comined NZMS/MSA committees; conference organisation led by Lucien Johnson (University of Waikato) and Nick Braae (Wintec)

The Value of Music/ology

Members of music departments as well as wider creative industries feel a keen sense of precarity at the present time. This sentiment persists despite growing research that highlights the benefits of music and creativity for individuals’ well-being, as well as social cohesion and belonging; and the determined efforts by those in higher education to productively mould curricula and research to the needs of a changing world. The existential threats are often framed in financial terms, though other issues of worth and relevance are implicated. In a saturated media environment, how can music and discourse around music cut through the noise? How can we articulate the broader importance of studying and understanding music – not only to students and various institutional bodies, but also to wider communities? Perhaps more than ever, there is a need for further consideration of how music and musicology (broadly conceived) may be considered to hold value in our modern world. We warmly invite proposals for papers, presentations, panels and themed sessions on any topics of music research, however, particularly welcome are those that address the following:

• Music and economic value
• Music and educational/pedagogical value
• The state of tertiary music education
• Public musicology
• Music as social, cultural and symbolic capital
• Alternative conceptions of value in musical contexts
• The role of music and music research in socio-political contexts
• Differing values of music across cultural contexts

Presentation Formats

• Formal conference papers: 20 minutes + 10 minutes for questions and discussion
• Lecture recitals/demonstrations: 20 minutes + 10 minutes for questions and discussion
• Panels (up to 4 participants): 90 minutes
• Themed sessions (up to 3 participants): 90 minutes

Submission Guidelines

Proposals for individual presentations should include the following:

• paper title;
• abstract of no more than 250 words;
• name of the presenter;
• a short biography of less than 100 words;
• four keywords;
• institutional affiliation if applicable.

Proposals for lecture recitals, panels and themed sessions should include the information listed above for each presenter PLUS (as applicable)

• a clear outline as to how the allocated time will be used;
• title and abstract/s for panel/session as a whole.

Please include your surname at the start of your submitted filename (e.g. YourSurname_2025NZMS-MSA_Abstract.docx)

Cash prizes will be awarded for the best paper presentations by postgraduate delegates. Subject to availability, grants to assist student delegates travelling from Australia and New Zealand will be provided. Travel assistance will also be available for Indigenous presenters. Applications for and further information about these grants will be accepted once the program committee has sent out approvals. All presenters must be current financial members of the NZMS or MSA at the time of registering for the conference. More information can be found at https://msa.org.au/membership/ and https://www.nzmusicology.org/membership/.

Key Dates

Please submit proposals as a Word document to nzmsmsa2025@wintec.ac.nz by Monday 5 May 2025. Proposals will be reviewed by a panel of selected NZMS and MSA representatives and notification of acceptance will be provided by Monday 23 June.