APME Italy 2026

APME Italy 2026

Welcome to the APMExMEMECO Italy 2026 Conference!
Here you can register and update your Sched profile. A draft schedule will be available May 15th, when you’ll be able to explore sessions and build your agenda.

Questions? Visit our website or email [email protected].

Join us July 14–16 in Sulmona, Italy, as we share voices and shape the future of popular music, identity, and education.

You will be able to validate your attendance (Check-In to sessions) using your personal schedule.

8:00am CEST

☕ Caffè Italiano Auditorium dell'Annunziata

8:15am CEST

Voice and Body Cortile del Liceo OvidioSerena Braida

9:00am CEST

Keynote: Andrea Bocelli Foundation Auditorium dell'AnnunziataMaria Chiara Giorgini • Alessio Nelli

10:00am CEST

An Intracultural Perspective on Allyship in Music Education Liceo Ovidio - Room 4Adrian Davis Spazio Community Music Liceo Ovidio - Room 5GIOIA FRUTTINI Are we there yet? The ultimate ultra-portable teaching platform and production/recording studio. From idea to final master: how to write, sequence, and produce your music using only your iPad. Liceo Ovidio - Room 1Andrea Pejrolo The Sound of Inclusion: The Ukulele as a Bridge Between School and Digital Music Liceo Ovidio - Room 3Angelo Ottaviani

10:25am CEST

From Concept to Show to Label: How Modern Band is Making Students College and Career Ready Liceo Ovidio - Room 5Kris Gilbert "Migrant Music and Identity: Artistic Practice as a vehicle for language learning and intercultural dialogue" Liceo Ovidio - Room 4FEDERICA FELLI

11:00am CEST

Esperienze di composizione musicale per gli adolescenti Liceo Ovidio - Room 5Barbara Filippi Inclusive Instrumental Music Education for Students with Dyslexia and Dyscalculia: A Comparative Case Study from Italy and Germany Liceo Ovidio - Room 3Susanna Zanella Cavallero • Amalia Rizzo Looping in Pedagogy: Loop Station, Improvisation, and Cooperation in Music Education Liceo Ovidio - Room 4Andrea Orsini Beyond Labels, Beyond Borders: Mediterranean Perspectives on Music Education Liceo Ovidio - Room 2Kat Reinhert • Maria Doreste Velazquez • Christiane Karam • Stefano Marchese, Ph.D. Musical Tinkering with AI: Play, Identity, and Agency in Popular Music Education Liceo Ovidio - Room 1Amira Ehrlich • Yotam Shevach

11:25am CEST

The Middle Eastern influence on Italian Medieval Music Liceo Ovidio - Room 5Matteo Mariani Canto popolare e canzone abruzzese d’autore negli studi di Ottaviano Giannangeli (1923-2017) Liceo Ovidio - Room 3Andrea Giampietro What do we sing in family? Liceo Ovidio - Room 4Gabriele Greggio

12:00pm CEST

Ancient Pop: Reviving Italian Medieval and Renaissance Folk Traditions for the Modern Choir Liceo Ovidio - Room 5Cristina Di Zio "That makes it too easy!" - Why music production isn't established in German music education. Liceo Ovidio - Room 3Arne Wachtmann Developing a Shared Voice in a Piano and Drum Kit Duo Liceo Ovidio - Room 4Austina Lee Music, Experience, and Human Development in School Contexts Liceo Ovidio - Room 2Valentina Chiola “Hear Our Stories”: Trauma-Informed & Identity-Centered Popular Music Pedagogy for Inclusive Classrooms Liceo Ovidio - Room 1Carmella Berthia

12:25pm CEST

Ipotesi di restituzione del repertorio di tradizione orale: due esempi in Abruzzo Liceo Ovidio - Room 5Luigi Di Tullio • Domenico Di Virgilio, "El Sistema” in Naples, re-building territories through community music education Liceo Ovidio - Room 3Giovanni Conelli Performare la sostenibilità e l’inclusione: teatro, musica, danza. Liceo Ovidio - Room 4Bruno Tatulli

2:00pm CEST

Teaching early music: a historical–musical didactic model through italian songwriting tradition Museo Multimediale Ovidio - Conference RoomGiulia Amatruda Psychological Resources and Educational Pathways in Conservatory Training: A Comparison between Popular and Classical Music Students Museo Multimediale Ovidio - Conference RoomLUIGIA BERTI • ANTONIO DIROMA • RICCARDO SANTOBONI • SARA SCHIETROMA

2:15pm CEST

Mario Giusti e il mandolino in Abruzzo: vita, opere ed eredità di un maestro Museo Multimediale Ovidio - FoyerFrancesco Mammola

3:00pm CEST

Keynote: Christiane Karam Museo Multimediale Ovidio - Conference RoomChristiane Karam

4:00pm CEST

Visual Narratives of Authenticity: Teacher Attire as Pedagogy in Popular Music Education Liceo Ovidio - Room 3Katelynn Lewis • Livia Helena de Moraes Exploring Breezin Thru Theory and Composing ! Liceo Ovidio - Room 5Jackie Martino Popular Music and Translanguaging: Insights from Young Children's Music Making Liceo Ovidio - Room 4Claudia Calì "Music between Light and Shadow: Expressing, Communicating, Including" Liceo Ovidio - Room 2Liliana Minutoli Teaching Popular Music Without Words Liceo Ovidio - Room 1Beatrice Bar • Yifat Shohat • Tal Weiss

4:15pm CEST

Record Club: Promoting Community Through Social Listening Liceo Ovidio - Room 3Sarai Brinker

4:25pm CEST

Modern Band Honor Ensembles: Rethinking Excellence Through Student Agency, Creativity, and Inclusion Liceo Ovidio - Room 5Raina Murnak • Bryan Powell Who Gets Heard: Women and Gender-Non-Conforming Students’ Experiences in Collegiate Music Technology Education Liceo Ovidio - Room 4Candice Mattio

4:30pm CEST

Il Chaabi algerino: tra tradizione e modernità nel XX secolo Liceo Ovidio - Room 3Hichem Chergui

5:00pm CEST

Innovation in Practice: Launching Iceland’s new “Music x Innovation x Technology” Bachelors Degree Liceo Ovidio - Room 5Dr Phillip J Doyle Fusing Musical Cultures: Developing Intercultural Competencies Liceo Ovidio - Room 3Tamara Thies Gen Z and performative storytelling: an ethnographic analysis for music education. Liceo Ovidio - Room 4Chiara Guarino Intercultural exchange and sharing identities in music education Liceo Ovidio - Room 2Sandra Fortuna • Claudio Dina • Ricardo Martinez • Gabriele Greggio • ELISABETTA PIRAS • Claudia Calì Building Circles. An experiential, inclusive and transcultural approach to musical learning Liceo Ovidio - Room 1FEDERICA MARCHI

5:25pm CEST

Things NOT to Do with AI in Your Songwriting (And What to Do Instead) Liceo Ovidio - Room 5Dr. Mark Huggins Re-engaging Students Through Structured, Activity-Based Learning in Sound Design and Creative Synthesis Liceo Ovidio - Room 3James Rees Rockin' the Public Domain: What I Learned about U.S. Popular Music after Launching a Sheet Music Company for Teachers Liceo Ovidio - Room 4Dr. Tom Zlabinger

6:00pm CEST

Andrea Bocelli Foundation Masterclass Performers Foyer Teatro M. Caniglia

7:30pm CEST

Cocktail Networking Reception Hotel Meeting Santacroce

9:30pm CEST

Gruppo Corale Folk Sirente Piazza XX Settembre

8:00am CEST

☕ Caffè Italiano Auditorium dell'Annunziata

8:15am CEST

Voice and Body Cortile del Liceo OvidioSerena Braida

9:00am CEST

Keynote: Dr. Rhoda Bernard Auditorium dell'AnnunziataDr. Rhoda Bernard

10:00am CEST

Gamification e musica di ispirazione folk di Amy Beach: promuovere identità e pratiche inclusive nella didattica pianistica Liceo Ovidio - Room 5Bianca Corrente The Study of Solfeggio: For a Historically Informed Music Pedagogy Liceo Ovidio - Room 4Paolo Sullo Ninna nanna: identità, tradizione e appartenenza Liceo Ovidio - Room 2D'Amato Mattia Francesco • Zaccagni Giorgia • Polifemo Elisabetta Maria • Iannelli Riccardo • Marcello Mattucci • Passos Iodice Bruna Communicating in, about, and through music: Language arts and music education Liceo Ovidio - Room 1Richard Cangro

10:25am CEST

The Creative Expressive Method: the Art of Living with the Arts Liceo Ovidio - Room 5Liliana Minutoli Closing the gaps in Popular Music singing pedagogy: What teacher training is still needed? Liceo Ovidio - Room 4Jo Sear

11:00am CEST

0 – 0-2000 Students in 12 Months: Developing an accessible, diverse and creative popular music program from the ground up. Liceo Ovidio - Room 5Marty Ryan How Conflicts of the Past and Present Have Shaped and Changed the Lebanese Music Industry’s Cultural Identity Liceo Ovidio - Room 4Carla Mattar From Practice to Prompt: Why Music Education Matters in an AI Classroom Liceo Ovidio - Room 2Suno The Voices Method: From Neuroscience to Mysticism, your Ultimate Path to Freedom Liceo Ovidio - Room 1Christiane Karam “Panamerican Fusion in Composition: Where Classical, Jazz, and Latin American Music Meet.” Liceo Ovidio - Room 3Carolina Calvache

11:25am CEST

Choral Singing as an Educational Ecosystem : Listening, Plasticity, and Citizenship in A Vertical Music Curriculum Liceo Ovidio - Room 5Mauro Penacca Finding Voice Through Presence: Mindfulness-Based Practices for Music Educators and Performers Liceo Ovidio - Room 4Raffaela Di vincenzo

12:00pm CEST

Raices al Viento Liceo Ovidio - Room 5Alessio Nelli Empowering children beyond the margins: A community music project in South Tyrol, Italy Liceo Ovidio - Room 4Carlo Nardi • Johann van der Sandt From a Recording Studio to an International Music Campus: Music Education, Entrepreneurship and Cultural Growth in Southern Italy Liceo Ovidio - Room 3Antonello Boezio Pop Theory in Practice: Teaching the Building Blocks of Modern Hits Liceo Ovidio - Room 2 Circle Singing in Education: Process, Participation, and Purpose Liceo Ovidio - Room 1Stefano Marchese, Ph.D.

12:25pm CEST

Preparing the Future-Ready Musician: Adaptability and Creative Growth in Undergraduate Popular Music Students Liceo Ovidio - Room 5Theo Metz Student Delineation, Marginalization, and Popular Music Education in U.S. Schools Liceo Ovidio - Room 4M. W. Degan The Business of Songwriting: Teaching Creative Careers in the Modern Music Industry Liceo Ovidio - Room 3Kat Reinhert

2:00pm CEST

Roots and Horizons: Roberto Murolo’s Legacy as a Shared Mediterranean Heritage Museo Multimediale Ovidio - FoyerAngelo Ottaviani • Michele Ciamponi

3:00pm CEST

Keynote: Giovanni Vacca Museo Multimediale Ovidio - Conference RoomGiovanni Vacca

4:00pm CEST

Sicilian-Jazz: Translating Cultural Identity into Contemporary Songwriting Liceo Ovidio - Room 5Sissy Castrogiovanni Hiding in Plain Sight: A Brief History of Coded Meanings, Slang, and Innuendo in American Popular Music Liceo Ovidio - Room 4Dr. Robert Sabin Popular Music as Educational Nourishment? Tracing Historical Roots in Music Pedagogy Liceo Ovidio - Room 3Giovanna Carugno Da "Mainstream" al mainstream - Come il cantautorato indie ha influenzato il pop italiano Liceo Ovidio - Room 2Alessio Nelli • Vincenzo Colella Exploring Children’s Music of Middle Eastern Cultures Liceo Ovidio - Room 1Constance M. Cook

4:25pm CEST

Il suono al centro Liceo Ovidio - Room 5Vincenzo Zenobio HI–AI–MI: A Human-Centered Framework for Ethical AI Integration in Popular Music Education Liceo Ovidio - Room 4Amira Ehrlich In search of the gods of childhood: education and music in Sardinian tradition Liceo Ovidio - Room 3Maria Bonaria Monne • ELISABETTA PIRAS

5:00pm CEST

BLUE HAWK RECORDS: TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING | HIGH STUDENT ENGAGEMENT | BRAND AWARENESS | REAL-WORLD OUTCOMES Liceo Ovidio - Room 5Joe Rapolla Innovative Approaches in Music Teaching and Learning Liceo Ovidio - Room 3Edward McClellan Student Agency Through Choice: Valuing the Creative Process in Popular Music Assessment Liceo Ovidio - Room 4Nicolas Sykes From Individual Voice to Collective Sound: Humanizing Approaches in Circle Singing Liceo Ovidio - Room 2Mahsa Mohammadhosseini UniMIDIHub music for everyone Liceo Ovidio - Room 1

5:25pm CEST

Loop Lottery Liceo Ovidio - Room 5 The Audiovisual Essay as an Educational and Epistemic Resource in Musical Collaborative Action Research / L'Audiovisual Essay come risorsa educativa ed epistemica nella Ricerca-Azione Collaborativa musicale Liceo Ovidio - Room 4Sara Navarro-Lalanda

6:00pm CEST

Orchestra delle Arti Inclusive Foyer Teatro M. Caniglia

8:00pm CEST

Panarda - Medieval Dinner Auditorium dell'Annunziata

9:30pm CEST

ORBERT DAVIS SEPTET from Chicago Jazz Philharmonic Piazza XX Settembre

8:00am CEST

☕ Caffè Italiano Auditorium dell'Annunziata

8:15am CEST

Voice and Body Cortile del Liceo OvidioSerena Braida

9:00am CEST

Keynote: Simone Pilon Auditorium dell'AnnunziataSimone Pilon

10:00am CEST

Let’s create Rethinking music theory using Flat and Soundtrap! Liceo Ovidio - Room 5Jackie Martino Constraint-Based Songwriting: Creativity Through Limits Liceo Ovidio - Room 3Kat Reinhert What are they listening to? A thematic analysis of children’s music preferences from disadvantaged backgrounds Liceo Ovidio - Room 4Sehnaz Sünnetcioglu The theater, music, and language of my homeland Liceo Ovidio - Room 2Nicolas Giusti Sicilian-Jazz in Practice: Composition, Arrangement, and Performance Liceo Ovidio - Room 1Sissy Castrogiovanni

10:25am CEST

From Listening to Growth: Reconnecting Music Education and Contemporary Human Needs Liceo Ovidio - Room 3Valentina Chiola Musical Pathways to Bilingual Identity: A Collaborative Autoethnography of Parental Music Practices in American–Chinese and Italian–Chinese Musician Families Liceo Ovidio - Room 4Danqing Zhou

11:00am CEST

Supporting Student Artists as Founders, Not Just Performers Liceo Ovidio - Room 4Brian Wilkins The Voices Method: Your Voice in your Body is your Voice in the World Liceo Ovidio - Room 3Christiane Karam General Music Centers for all Learners Liceo Ovidio - Room 2Maria Doreste Velazquez Voci corali giovanili sane: metodi pratici e strategie pedagogiche per la formazione del coro adolescenziale Liceo Ovidio - Room 1TANIA BUCCINI

11:15am CEST

Beyond the Cover: Incorporating Cultural Influences and Identities into Performances Liceo Ovidio - Room 4Tamara Thies

11:25am CEST

Music as an Educational and Social Infrastructure: from Città della Musica to Solidarity Couriers Liceo Ovidio - Room 5Antonio Di Leonardo On-Screen Portrayals of Music Teachers Causing Treble: Exploring the Depictions of Popular Music Educators in Films Liceo Ovidio - Room 3

12:00pm CEST

Defanging the Canon Monster: Reducing the Friction of Building Quality Setlists Liceo Ovidio - Room 3Dr. Tom Zlabinger Musica Popolare Italiana: Voices of the Past and the Future Liceo Ovidio - Room 4Valerio Apuzzo Ecstatic Expressions: Inside out/Outside in - Balancing the emotional and technical approaches to shouts, screams, and vocal distortion Liceo Ovidio - Room 1Hayley Thompson-King

12:25pm CEST

Finish the Song Today. Songwriting with Suno Liceo Ovidio - Room 4Suno From the Levant to Lubbock Texas: Bridging Cultures through Music Liceo Ovidio - Room 3Sarai Brinker

4:00pm CEST

Mode Ancien: An Exploration in Reimagining Medieval Music for Contemporary Audiences Liceo Ovidio - Room 3Alessandra Pejrolo The Italian Choral Groove: Arranging and Promoting Italo-Pop for Modern Ensembles Liceo Ovidio - Room 4Cristina Di Zio How to Stay Relevant: Student Voice as Curriculum in Popular Music Education Liceo Ovidio - Room 1 “Improvvisa con me al pianoforte”: attività per sviluppare la creatività nella formazione musicale di base. Liceo Ovidio - Room 2María del Mar Cabezuelo Sáenz

4:25pm CEST

From Galant Schema to Pop Hit: the Romanesca between Historical Tradition and Contemporary Popular Music Liceo Ovidio - Room 3Marco Pollaci

5:30pm CEST

Guided Tour of Abbazia Santo Spirito & Open Singing Abbazia Santo Spirito

9:30pm CEST

Mistura Popolare Piazza XX Settembre

APME Italy 2026

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