International Society for Music Education (ISME.org)

The International Society for Music Education (ISME) and the Gibson Foundation, in collaboration, offer two types of awards.

ISME-Gibson International Awards in Music Education

The ISME-Gibson International Awards in Music Education recognize outstanding achievement and service in the discipline of music education, thereby providing acknowledgement for exemplary music educators and or institutions whose work enriches music education in their home country/region and serves as an exemplar for the ideals of music education internationally. Normally, recipients are from the World Conference country, so that ISME and the INA can use the awards to advocate the importance of music education in the host country and to increase media exposure for the conference.

ISME-Gibson Community Music Education Awards

The ISME-Gibson Community Music Education Awards provide opportunities that would not otherwise exist for young people to learn, experience and actively participate in music.

Awards are presented to successful non-profit organizations that provide evidence that they are able to devise an innovative project that targets young people who, through their life circumstances, would greatly benefit from the joy and creativity that can come from a specially designed participatory music program.

Suitable community-based music education projects might include work with young people:

• whose economic background leaves them excluded or marginalized;
• who live in divided communities or in areas of tension or conflict; or
• who have emotional, physical or cognitive disabilities.

Such projects might:

• seek to help recovering youngsters from street life that led them to be on the margins and therefore unlikely to access mainstream music education;
• set in place innovative networks or collaborations that ensure greater access to music education; or
• provide opportunities to train for a future career in music or the music industry.

In addition to funding, projects may be eligible to receive mentoring through the ISME Community Music Commission. All applicants are required to have current ISME membership either through the main proponent (who would need to be an Individual Member of ISME) or as Group Membership of ISME. Individuals or Groups who are not ISME members, may join at the time of submitting their application.

Further information about the above awards can be obtained by contacting the ISME International Office.