The Association Européenne des Conservatoires (AEC) organised a “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) International Symposium” in Singapore earlier this month.

The symposium, which took place on October 7-8, was hosted by the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (YST) – National University of Singapore. This two-day event gathered teaching and administrative staff, managers, students and alumni from Higher Music Education (HME) institutions across Southeast Asia to exchange knowledge and foster actionable DEI practices at a local level.

The symposium welcomed over 30 participants from prominent institutions, including the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila (Philippines), the Princess Galyani Vadhana Institute of Music (PGVIM) in Bangkok (Thailand), the University College Sedaya International (UCSI) in Kuala-Lumpur (Malaysia) and the YST in Singapore. Through active engagement in the different sessions, participants were able to reflect on and reinforce their commitment to DEI values in HME across the region.

The symposium was facilitated by members of the Diversity, Inclusion and Gender Equality (DIGE) Working Group of the AEC’s “Empowering Artists as Makers in Society” project (ARTEMIS, 2022-2025). The event combined plenary presentations with hands-on activities and thematic breakout discussions, offering participants a multi-faceted look at the challenges and opportunities surrounding DEI in HME. The full programme is available here.

The panel of facilitators featured distinguished experts, including:

  • Dr. Katja Thomson, Lecturer and Researcher in Music Education at the Sibelius Academy
  • Xiangning Lin, Faculty and PhD candidate at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music
  • Monica Vejgaard, President of the European Performing Arts Students’ Association 
  • Alfonso Guerra, Membership and Finance Coordinator at the AEC and ARTEMIS Project Manager

 

 

Attendees also had the opportunity to explore the newly developed resource package, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Higher Music Education: An Invitation for Action. This publication, developed by the DIGE Working Group, offers HME institutions practical insights and tools for advancing DEI initiatives, featuring sections on DEI landscape overviews in different countries, personal reflections from change-makers, digital resources for DEI support, and strategies to understand resistance within HME.

The DEI International Symposium marked a significant step forward in the AEC’s mission to empower artists and institutions to embrace diversity, equity and inclusion as central pillars of music education. For more information, please contact Alfonso Guerra at alfonsoguerra@aec-music.eu.