The Fourth International Conference of the Faculty of Music Education – Helwan University, in collaboration with the Arab Music Academy – League of Arab States

Under the patronage of His Excellency, Prof. Dr. AlSayed Kandil – President of the University, and the Vice President of the University
Under the supervision of:
Prof. Dr. Shereen Abdel Latif Badr – Dean of the Faculty
and Prof. Dr. Magda Al-Afify – Vice Dean for Postgraduate Studies and Research 

Prof. Dr. Nahla Mattar – Conference Secretary General

     Organized by the Faculty’s Cultural Relations Committee

The Fourth International Scientific Conference (Twelfth overall) of the Faculty of Music Education – Helwan University, was held in collaboration with the Arab Music Academy – League of Arab States, from October 8 to 10, 2024, at the Arts Complex, Helwan University, Arab Republic of Egypt.

The Conference was held under the title of: "Music and Society in the 21^st Century: Visions and Experiences" and aimed to:

• Share the latest methods of music education based on multiculturism.
• Discuss the role of music education sciences in sustainable development.
• Present the most significant changes in the music job market.
• Contribute to and support Egypt’s Vision 2030 for sustainable development.
• Align with the global interest in the sciences and arts of music education.
• Strengthen communication between local, regional, and international institutes concerned with music and arts to elevate the artistic taste.

The opening ceremony was held at the Arts and Culture Complex on the campus of Helwan University. It included opening remarks and a welcome from the organizers, keynote speeches, and addresses from the conference’s partners and sponsors: (the Arab Music Academy – the Egyptian Musicians’ Syndicate – Yamaha/Gulf company – the International Society of Music Education).

This was followed by a ceremony honoring the pioneers professors of the Faculty of Music Education and the distinguished guests of the conference. The ceremony continued with musical performances by faculty members, featuring both Arabic and Western music selections. Bringing the ceremony to a close with vocal selections by the Capital Voice Choir of the Faculty of Music Education. The event was hosted by Dr. Khaled Saad, senior broadcaster of Egypt’s First Television Channel.

The conference featured the participation of 58 researchers from Egypt, as well as Arab and International countries, representing over 8 Egyptian universities and institutions from 15 Arab and Foreign countries, including: Lebanon, Jordan, Tunisia, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, the UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, the United States and Australia.

Conference Sessions and Themes:

• Music Education and job market requirements.
• Music and Art therapy.
• Music and people with special needs.
• Music, artificial intelligence, and the challenges of the 21^st century.
• The role of music and arts in environmental development and community service.
• Music and multiculturalism.
• Music and community engagement.
• Music sciences and sustainable development for community service.

The keynote speeches covered three distinct geographical and research topics, complementing one another and offering key insights into the conference ‘s research topics. The first keynote was delivered by Prof. Dr. Amira Farag, Rapporteur of the Permanent Scientific Committee for Promotion and former Dean of the Faculty of Music Education – Helwan University. Her speech highlighted the major developments in music in Egypt since the turn of millennium. The second keynote was given by Father Dr. Youssef Tannous, former Dean of the Faculty of Music at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik in Lebanon, discussing the challenges of facing music – as a science, an art, and a form of entertainment – in Arab societies amid the growing technological nature in the 21^st century. The third keynote was presented by Prof. Dr. Jennifer Jolley, composer and Chair of Music Department at Lehman College, City University of New York. She spoke about the evolving approaches to teaching music composition, specifically for non-specialist students, and how these methods have been influenced by community engagement, drawing on her experience in the United States and her time as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Helwan University in Spring 2023.

The first two sessions were held concurrently at the Arts and Culture Complex Theatre and Dr. Al-Nashar Hall, featuring both theoretical and applied research papers addressing topics related to the first theme: Music education and job market requirements, and the second theme: Music and Art therapy.

On the second day of the conference, four sessions were held at the Faculty of Music Education campus, in the New Theater and the Rhythmic Movement Hall. The sessions covered research related to:

• Music and people with special needs.
• Music, artificial intelligence, and the challenges of the 21^st century.
• The role of music and arts in environmental development and community service.
• Music and multiculturalism.
• Music sciences and sustainable development for community service.

Researchers also presented three interactive academic posters on various topics related to the role of music in society.

A workshop was also organized on the sidelines of the conference in collaboration with Yamaha–Gulf and the Egyptian – Japanese Schools involving 50 students from the third and fourth year from the Faculty of Music Education and was held over two days, October 5^th-6^th, 2024, at the faculty’s campus. The workshop lasted four hours each day, under the supervision of the Cultural Relations Committee.

Bringing the conference to an end with a musical performance followed by the reading of the conference recommendations by Conference Chairman, and the Dean of the Faculty, Prof. Dr. Shereen Abdel Latif Badr, and the Secretary-General of the Arab Music Academy, Prof. Dr. Kifah Fakhouri.

The most important conference recommendations were strengthening musical research partnerships among Arab universities and developing databases and platforms that include diverse musical systems and innovative teaching methods in the Arab world.