International Conference on Music Education (INTERCOME) Conference

Theme: 21st Century Innovation Thursday, 25th October to Friday, 26th October 2018 Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Welcome to Yogyakarta, Indonesia! The Conference will be held in Yogyakarta, a historical cultural province and one of the most favourite tourist destinations in Indonesia. It is also known as the province of learning because, despite its small area compared to other provinces, this province is the house of more than one hundred higher education institutions, with students coming from all over the country. People therefore also call this province a “miniature Indonesia” and it is one of the best places to conduct meetings, conferences, seminars and symposia Some of the popular tourist activities that INTERCOME participants may enjoy while staying in Yogyakarta include: Borobudur, the Sultan’s Palace, Malioboro Street, White Pillar, Prambanan Temple, traditional Javanese Gamelan music performance, Ramayana Ballet, Batik Painting Galleries, handicraft industries as well as orchestral music performance by students of the Music Education Department of Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta and theatre performance by the Languages and Arts Faculty of Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta. (See pictures below.) Conference Theme: 21st Century Innovation Art is one of the highest of human achievements that expresses and represents many of the aspects and values of life and each culture or nation has its own traditions and forms of art. Hence, art within any nation is reflection of all that the nation is. As one of the most widely-spread forms of art, music serves not only as a form of entertainment but also as an educational medium, an accompaniment to or symbol of religious and customary rituals, and as a medium for aesthetic expression. Furthermore, music can form personality, deepen religious attitudes, enrich ritual processions and improve the aesthetic sensibilities and abilities of an individual and society. In the past, music has been used to train people’s hearing and sense of sound to help refine their sense of taste; it is also almost universally used to express, deepen and reinforce a sense of nationality within a country’s citizens. In recent decades, music researches have made fascinating discoveries about music that have both directly and indirectly raised people's awareness of the importance and effects of music. Scientific journals of the 1980s and 1990s published studies showing that music literally changes the brain structure that is developing in the foetus; that IQ scores increased among children who receive regular music training; that music therapy for as little as half an hour can improve the immune function of children; and that music can also ease tension, encourage social interaction, stimulate language development and improve motor skills among children. It is undoubtedly the case that music either directly or indirectly has a great influence on life. However, like many other things, music changes along with changing times. Mobile phones, laptops and internet usage are increasingly visible throughout society. It is time for music educators, researchers and professionals within music education to take note of the predominance of these new technologies and develop innovations for use in schools and universities in ways that take account of the rapidly changing communication technology while also paying heed to local traditions. With all the above in mind, the theme of this international conference, Innovations for 21st century music education, provides a timely opportunity to take stock of the latest developments in music education and bring together educators, researchers and members of the broader community in a welcoming forum in which they can express theoretical and practical views, concepts, research results and principles to help support the further development of music educations.