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.
This panel explores how music education can move beyond restrictive labels and borders through Mediterranean perspectives. Drawing on MEMECO and APME research and practice, panelists examine culturally responsive pedagogy, participatory music-making, and transnational collaboration to reimagine music education as inclusive, fluid, and intercultural.
Professor/CEO, Berklee College of Music/Songwriting for Music Educators
Kat Reinhert is a genre-defying songwriter, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and bandleader. She has released five independently produced albums and collaborated with artists like Anat Fort, Jo Lawry, Ross Pederson, Michael Leonhart, Josh Logan, Stephen Lit, and David Cook. Her songwriting... Read More →
Born into a legacy of resilience—with genocide in her DNA as the descendant of Armenian genocide survivors and having grown up amid violent conflict— Christiane Karam has transformed personal trauma into a powerful healing methodology. As a Professor of Voice, Ensemble, and Songwriting... Read More →
Stefano Marchese is an award-winning Italian singer-songwriter and educator. He has collaborated with Grammy winners Bobby McFerrin and Luis Enrique, among others. Thanks to his solo album Radici, in 2021 he was nominated by Serafini as one the 100 most relevant Abruzzesi abroad... Read More →
Tuesday July 14, 2026 11:00am - 11:45am CEST Liceo Ovidio - Room 2PIAZZA XX SETTEMBRE 13, 67039 SULMONA (AQ)
Music permeates human life, yet in schools its educational role is often reduced to technical training and classical repertoire. Drawing on critical pedagogy and anthropology, this panel explores music as a transformative human practice that fosters experience, meaning-making, identity, and social development, especially in pre-adolescence and adolescence.
Professor of Music Education, Conservatorio di Musica di Pescara
Valentina Chiola is Professor of Music Pedagogy at the "Luisa D'Annunzio" Conservatory of Music in Pescara, with a background in music education dating back to 1985. She holds degrees in Piano Performance, Music Education, and Pedagogy (Roma Tre University), along with postgraduate... Read More →
Tuesday July 14, 2026 12:00pm - 12:45pm CEST Liceo Ovidio - Room 2PIAZZA XX SETTEMBRE 13, 67039 SULMONA (AQ)
The cultural diversity within schools makes the development of music teachers’ intercultural competence an increasingly relevant priority (Westerlund, Karlsen, & Partti, 2020; Cabedo-Mas, 2015). From this perspective, beginning with an analysis of the Italian context (Institutional programs and political expectations), the panel will focus on concrete experiences and initiatives in intercultural training within musical practice, such as inviting foreign musicians to participate in teaching activities and in the creation of intercultural ensembles. Following an examination of an Italian intercultural teacher-training program, we will move to international experiences, within the broader framework of a world-education perspective (Biesta 2021).
Professor of Pedagogy and Psychology of Music (Phd), conservatory Santa Cecilia, Rome, Italy
Sandra Fortuna is a Professor of Pedagogy and Psychology of Music at the Conservatory of Music in Rome (Italy). She holds a Ph.D in Systematic Musicology (Ghent University), MA degrees in Musicology, Music Education, and Violin Performance. Her work addresses the integration of... Read More →
PhD student, University of Milano Bicocca, Deparment of Human Science for Education "Riccardo Massa"
Gabriele Greggio is a social pedagogist and musician, PhD student in Education at Milano Bicocca University. Since 2011 he work as music educator in early childhood context (family, schoolgarden).
Professor, Conservatorio "GPL da Palestrina" Cagliari; Conservatorio "G.Braga" Teramo, Alma Mater Studiorum-Università di Bologna
Elisabetta Piras teaches Music Pedagogy for Music Education at the “GP da Palestrina” Conservatory in Cagliari. She is an adjunct professor and subject expert in “Methodology of Music Education” at the Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, and collaborates with many... Read More →
Assistant Professor of Music Education, Queens College
Claudia Calì is Assistant Professor of Music Education at Queens College (CUNY) in NewYork. A native of Italy, Claudia Calì holds a Degree in Piano Performance from the Conservatoryof Perugia, as well as degrees from the University of Perugia and the Catholic University ofMilan... Read More →
Tuesday July 14, 2026 5:00pm - 5:45pm CEST Liceo Ovidio - Room 2PIAZZA XX SETTEMBRE 13, 67039 SULMONA (AQ)
The lullaby is a cornerstone of the ethnomusical and linguistic identity of peoples. Its analysis reveals binary rhythmic structures and crucial anthropological and psychological functions, such as the regulation of infant arousal. Preserving this oral repertoire means safeguarding historical memories and deep relational bonds against the risk of cultural oblivion.
Mattia Francesco D'Amato nasce nel 2002 a Cava de' Tirreni (SA). Dopo aver studiato violoncello negli istituti cavesi intraprende il triennio di violoncello al Conservatorio di musica Santa Cecilia di Roma. Attualmente studia nello stesso istituto il biennio di Formazione per la comunicazione... Read More →
Giorgia Zaccagni nasce a Pescara nel 1985 e fin da giovanissima coltiva la passione per il pianoforte.Dopo essersi trasferita a Roma, arricchisce il suo percorso artistico laureandosi in Lingue Orientali (La Sapienza) e in Canto Jazz (Cons. Casella), affiancando allo studio la dedizione... Read More →
Ho 26 anni sono nata a Palermo, studio pianoforte dall’età di 8 anni. Ho intrapreso lo studio accademico di pianoforte presso il conservatorio “Vincenzo Bellini di Caltanissetta” per poi conseguire il diploma accademico di I livello in pianoforte al conservatorio “Santa Cecilia... Read More →
Incantato dal mondo dei suoni fin dall'infanzia, sono cresciuto in una famiglia dove l'ascolto della musica era un elemento importante della nostra vita, all'età di 11 anni inizio lo studio del pianoforte. Nel 2020 entro al triennio accademico di primo livello in pianoforte class... Read More →
Bruna Iodice, nata a São Paulo, in Brasile, vi ha vissuto fino al 2018. Si è laureata in Lettere presso l’Università Statale di São Paulo (USP). Ha studiato chitarra classica in prestigiose istituzioni, tra cui l’EMESP Tom Jobim, Escola Municipal de Música di São Paulo e... Read More →
Wednesday July 15, 2026 10:00am - 10:45am CEST Liceo Ovidio - Room 2PIAZZA XX SETTEMBRE 13, 67039 SULMONA (AQ)
AI music tools are more powerful in the hands of students with underlying theory and practice. This panel of educators make the case that traditional songwriting and ensemble skills enhance a student’s creative abilities when working with AI.
Suno is a music company built to amplify imagination. Students can turn original lyrics, melodies, or demo recordings into complete, studio-quality songs. Suno empowers students at every level to create, experiment, and discover what they're capable of, unlocking the joy of musical... Read More →
Wednesday July 15, 2026 11:00am - 11:45am CEST Liceo Ovidio - Room 2PIAZZA XX SETTEMBRE 13, 67039 SULMONA (AQ)
Music theory was originally developed to describe and explain the Euroclassical repertoire. While its foundations remain essential, relying on traditional theory alone to teach contemporary commercial songwriting and production is a bit like giving students an old map to navigate a city that has transformed. Drawing on systematic analysis of today’s chart-topping songs, this session introduces frameworks that expand traditional theory to include the elements, patterns, and conventions that define today’s commercial music landscape.
Wednesday July 15, 2026 12:00pm - 12:45pm CEST Liceo Ovidio - Room 2PIAZZA XX SETTEMBRE 13, 67039 SULMONA (AQ)
Negli ultimi dieci anni, la musica italiana ha vissuto una trasformazione profonda: dall’impatto indipendente di artisti come Calcutta al dominio dello streaming, fino al pop contemporaneo contaminato da urban, indie e digitale. Un viaggio tra autenticità, algoritmi e nuovi linguaggi che hanno ridefinito produzione, distribuzione e identità artistica.
Artistic Director Masterclasses, Andrea Bocelli Foundation
Alessio Nelli is an Italian pianist, keyboardist and composer. He graduated in piano from the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in 2010 and subsequently attended a two-year course in accompaniment at the Giulio Briccialdi Conservatory in Terni. From 2011 to 2012, he studied at Mogol’s... Read More →
Vincenzo Colella è un autore firmato Warner Chappell. Nel 2017, a soli 22 anni, firma il suo primo contratto editoriale con Sony Publishing, dando inizio a un percorso che lo porterà a collaborare con alcuni tra i più importanti artisti del panorama musicale italiano, tra cui Marco... Read More →
Wednesday July 15, 2026 4:00pm - 4:45pm CEST Liceo Ovidio - Room 2PIAZZA XX SETTEMBRE 13, 67039 SULMONA (AQ)
The panel will be a kind of friendly discussion group where artistic realities such as theater, music, and linguistics in the region will be discussed. The panel will include several guests, to be determined.
Full Professor of Opera Studio, The Boston Conservatory at Berklee
Academic Background Master degree and Minor degree: Piano performance, Composition and Conducting Conducting: he studied with Gianandrea... Read More →
Thursday July 16, 2026 10:00am - 10:45am CEST Liceo Ovidio - Room 2PIAZZA XX SETTEMBRE 13, 67039 SULMONA (AQ)
Transform your lower elementary classroom into a joyful, inclusive hub! Experience hands-on music centers featuring movement, rhythm games, and diverse instruments. Using UDL strategies and family-shared traditions, you’ll explore culturally responsive activities and adaptable manipulatives. Leave with practical resources to build student-centered environments that honor every learner's identity and pace.
