GSME history


Presentation of the Greek Society for Music Education (GSME)

The Greek Society for Music Education (GSME) was founded in March 1997. It is a non-profit, scientific organization, with the main purpose of promoting music education in Greece and of developing music education as a field of scientific study. It implements research projects concerning the place of music in social life, in the mass media and especially in education. GSME also collaborates and exchanges data with universities, music pedagogical foundations, social unions, and governmental institutions, especially with international societies that work on the same purpose in Europe and in the other continents. GSME, among other things, organizes seminars, lectures and conferences on various areas of music education.

GSME shares the basic principles, function and goals of International Society for Music Education (ISME). From 1998 to 2018, GSME was an ISME National Affiliate Organization for Greece. Since 2018, GSME is a founding member of the Council of Professional Associations of ISME. Additionally, from 2020 collaborates with the UK branch of the European String Teachers Association (ESTA-UK).

GSME’s work is based only on the voluntary and generous offers of its members. Since 1998 GSME publishes the annual journal Music Education with practical teaching ideas and lesson plans (21 issues to date), under the supervision of its Editorial Board. Also, since 2004, the society publishes the annual refereed scientific journal Musical Pedagogics, under the supervision of a Chief Editor and a Scientific Committee (9 issues to date). Both journals include English abstracts. Furthermore GSME publishes the quarterly newsletter The News of GSME (44 issues to date) and maintains a constantly updated website at www.eeme.gr

G.S.M.E has also published:

GSME has formed working groups and committees in the areas of pre-school music education, primary music education, secondary music education, the pedagogy of piano teaching and music in special education. At its headquarters in Thessaloniki, there is a library with music education materials (books, journals, videotapes, CDs and CDRoms and the like). The society continually informs its members and visitors of its activities and updates in the field of music education, through its website.

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GSME has organized until now 7 webinars, 80 seminars/workshops, 7 series of seminars in different aspects of teachers’ lifelong training, 20 lectures, 6 one day conferences, 2 two day conferences, has supported the organizing of music educational-theatrical performances and co-organized several artistic events in collaboration with various cultural organizations. Additionally, the Society has organized 8 national/international conferences, and 1 with the collaboration of the Music Department of the Ionian University.

The 1st GSME Conference was held on June 26-28, 1998 and the 2nd Conference on June 30 - July 2, 2000, both in Thessaloniki. The 3rd Conference, celebrating the 5th GSME Anniversary, was held on June 28-30 2002, in Volos. The 4th Conference was held in Lamia 1-3 July 2005. The 5th GSME Conference, celebrating the organization’s 10th Anniversary, was held in 2007, June 29th–July 1st, at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall (TCH). The 6th International Conference of the Greek Society for Music Education was co-organized by GSME, the Athens Concert Hall Organisation and the Music Library of Greece "Lilian Voudouri" and took place in Athens on 30 October-1 November 2009.

In 2012 GSME organized the 30th ISME World Conference on Music Education.

During the last biennium, GSME opened a new area of activities by organizing and implementing Educational Programs for Schools. In 2010 the society designed and implemented the educational program called Melodic City and in 2011 another one called The Strings narrate…stories for children, both at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall.

With its rapidly growing membership, its scientific profile, and its recognized national status, the Society is the only organization in the country that its membership covers all educational levels and supports and promotes music education in Greece. The GSME Board of Directors, Committees and all officers engaged work also in advocacy matters and bring proposals for improvement on music education matters to the Greek State e.g. Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Education and the Pedagogical Institute.

 

GSME and ISME

From 1998 to 2016, GSME was an Affiliated National Organization of ISME and since 2016  GSME is a founding member of the Council of Professional Associations of ISME. Since 1998, in many ways, it makes known the work of ISME in Greece and promotes ISME membership by distributing ISME material. Also in its journals have appeared periodically articles from IJME, translated after the permission of ISME. In GSME’s newsletter there is a special column named the News of ISME and at the GSME conferences there is always a display of ISME publications as well as information material for ISME’s upcoming conferences. GSME also has a link of ISME in its website.

Since its affiliation, GSME sends representatives to the ISME Conferences and other ISME meetings, who meet with the ISME Board members in special focus sessions. In 1998 the Editorial Board Member Dimitra Koniari brought the application of GSME to become an ANO, and presented the work of the Society to the Pretoria Conference. In January 2000 the -at the time- GSME president, Polyvios Androutsos presented proposals of the GSME Board on possible venues for collaboration between the ANOs to the ISME Board at a special meeting in Liverpool (ISME European Meeting). Also in July 2000 the president of GSME represented the Society at the Edmonton Conference and participated in special focus discussions with the ISME Board and the presidents of other ANOs. In Canada also, the president along with the Board member Evaggelia Simou displayed the publications and GSME information material. GSME sent Lelouda Stamou as representative in ISME’s 2002 conference in Bergen. GSME was represented by Polyvios Androutsos also at the ISME conferences in 2004 (Tenerife) and in 2006 (Kuala Lumpur), while in 2008 (Bologna) and in 2010 (Beijing) the society’s representatives were respectively May Kokkidou and Sophia Aggelidou. At the Beijing ISME conference (2010), GSME organized the Closing Ceremony and Concert (being the organizer of the 2012 ISME conference), by bringing together a group of over 50 people, members of its board of directors and other committees’ officers, as well as performers.

It should also be noted here that the close collaboration that the GSME Board of Directors had over the years with the ISME administration (in U.K., in the Netherlands and currently in Australia), has had always a very positive impact in making ISME more known in Greece and increasing ISME membership in the country.

Another aspect of the collaboration between the two societies is the participation of ISME’s officers in GSME events. ISME past-Presidents Einar Solbu and Anna Lucia Frega attended the 3rd G.S.M.E. Conference in Volos (2002), and presented a keynote, and paper and workshop respectively. In 2007, at the 5th GSME Conference in, the -at that moment- ISME President-elect Håkan Lundström and the ISME Secretary General Judy Thönell attended the 10th Anniversary conference and extended ISME’s greetings. In 2009 at the 6th GSME Conference in Athens, Graham Welch the -at that moment- ISME President-elect, presented a keynote speech.

For more information, pleased visit GSME’s website at www.eeme.gr