Sociomusicology: Music Diplomacy in Europe

6/18/25

Music Diplomacy in Europe

It was thrilling to finally have a chance to visit a uniquely important center for music diplomacy in Europe, the Barenboim Said Academy, in Berlin, Germany.

I am so grateful for the invitation to give a lecture, meet students and staff, and learn all about their innovative activities. Particularly during this time, when tensions in the Middle East are surely as difficult as ever before, it is exciting to see what is being accomplished in Berlin through the unique power of music.

I am eager to return, and look forward to new collaborations and opportunities to report on their inspiring activities.

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Welcome to Sociomusicology

For over 15 years (since 2007), this website has offered musings on contemporary society and its music by David G. Hebert, PhD. He is a sociomusicologist specializing in global music education who has held academic positions with universities on five continents. Dr. Hebert is now a tenured full Professor with Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Bergen. There he leads the Grieg Academy Music Education (GAME) research group and manages the multinational government-funded Nordic Network for Music Education, which organizes annual intensive Master courses and exchange of teachers and students across eight countries. He is also an Affiliated Professor with University of the Faroe Islands and an Honorary Professor in China with the Education University of Hong Kong.

Professor Hebert's research applies an international-comparative perspective to issues of pluralism, identity, and cultural relevance in music education, as well as processes by which new music traditions emerge and change - both sonically and socially - as they are adopted into institutions. Born in the 1970s, he is among the most widely-published and globally-active music scholars of his generation (h-index:21), with professional activities in an average of 8 countries per year across the past decade (2008-2020).

Publications and Activities

Recent Books: * Wind Bands and Cultural Identity in Japanese Schools (2012, Springer), *Theory and Method in Historical Ethnomusicology (2014, Lexington) * Patriotism and Nationalism in Music Education (2016, Routledge) * International Perspectives on Translation, Education, and Innovation in Japanese and Korean Societies (2018, Springer), *Music Glocalization: Heritage and Innovation in a Digital Age (2018, Cambridge Scholars),*Advancing Music Education in Northern Europe (2019, Routledge), *Teaching World Music in Higher Education (2020, Routledge), *Ethnomusicology and Cultural Diplomacy (2022, Rowman & Littlefield), *Shared Listenings: Methods for Transcultural Musicianship and Research (2023, Cambridge University Press), *Comparative and Decolonial Studies in Philosophy of Education (2023, Springer). *Perspectives on Music, Education, and Diversity (2025, Springer), *A Philosophy of Music Education for the Era of AI: Dialogue Between Chinese and Western Perspectives (2025, forthcoming, Routledge).

Articles in 35 different professional journals and chapters in 10 other books.

Full List of Publications: http://sociomusicology-icom.blogspot.no/

Keynote Speaker - Across recent years, Professor Hebert has had keynote speeches in Poland, Germany, Uzbekistan, China, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Lithuania, Tanzania, and Thailand, and chaired two sessions at ISA-Japan.

Singing Opera & Art Songs / Reviews of My Books.