Thanks for your interest in presenting a session at Music & Drama Education Expo! Our guidelines & FAQ's section details all you need to know about the submission process.

We've now closed the submission process for our 2021 Call for Papers. We look forward to seeing you in London on 24 & 25 September 2021!

What sort of topics do you look for?

We allocate sessions across the following topics:

• Technology
• Rock & pop
• World music
• Classical
• Curriculum & exams
• Policy & funding
• Career development
• Business & marketing
• Current educational trends, approaches and new research
• Mind & body
• SEND & inclusion

Who should my session cater to?

Our delegates comprise:

• Classroom teachers from early years through to KS5
• Instrumental teachers from beginners to advanced
• Drama classroom teachers and independent practitioners
• Management – Heads of Department, Hub Heads and Heads of Music Service
• Higher Education professors

So please ensure your session caters to one or more of the above delegate types. The more relevant your session is to our audience, the more likely it'll be selected!

Who selects the conference programme and what is the process?

The initial programme is selected by our Heads of Content: Chris Walters, Head of Content (Music) and Editor of Music Teacher magazine and Sarah Lambie, Head of Content (Drama) and Editor of Drama & Theatre magazine.

It’s a long and considered process. The Heads of Content request feedback and ideas from our specialist Advisory Board in advance of the call for papers deadline (any sessions they feel have been missing in previous years; what they’d like to see more of; plugging gaps in current service/department provision). We take this advice on-board when reading through the submissions. The Advisory Board then peruse the full proposed programme and tweaks are made before speakers are confirmed, to ensure a breadth of content worthy of our loyal audience.

Which key stages should I cover?

We try to ensure an equal offering across the key stages, from Early Years and KS1 through to KS5.  We appreciate that some topics will be more specialist, and some will be applicable to many. Generally we get fewer sessions offered at Early Years level and at KS5, so submissions appealing to these areas would be very welcome.

 
Do you prefer practical sessions or lectures?

The answer is both! We accept all kinds of sessions whether our delegates are on their feet or mentally engaged in their chair, we welcome all types of submissions. We're not focused too much on the type of presentation you give, but more so about the content value, the relevance and the impact it will have on delegates that are in attendance.

 
Is it ok to submit my session from a company/organisation or do you prefer those made by individuals?

We whole-heartedly welcome both! The Expo is a celebration of all those working in education and in the industry and there is much specialist guidance and advice to be had from companies, charities and institutions, as well as from individuals practising in the sector.

It all comes down to the quality of the session offered, so we’ll never have a bias towards sessions coming from individuals only. It is important, however, that the session quality is high and truly useful to our delegates and not purely a sales pitch for a service or product.

 
What are your main aims when selecting sessions?

Our main priorities when considering submissions are:

• Do we have an even spread of sessions catering to all of our delegate types?
  
  
• Are we covering all of the key stages (with plenty of general sessions as well as those offering more specialist subject knowledge and expertise at the upper and lower levels)?
  
  
• Is there a broad representation of topics (policy & funding, technology in the  classroom etc)?
  
  
• Are we covering current topics, research and thinking and offering our delegates the chance to meet, probe and debate with key decision makers in the fields of policy and curriculum?
  
  
• Is there an even offering across theory; aural; composition; performance; improvisation?
  
  
• Are we varying the programme enough year-on-year? We try to mix up our speakers, topics and sessions as much as we can. We’re all about putting the ‘continuing’ into ‘continuing professional development’ and it’s important that there’s enough new material on offer to encourage our audience to return each year

 
How likely is it that I’ll get a session?

We do receive many more applications than we can programme (at least 8 applications for every one available session). So it’s a tough process, and it means we regrettably have to turn down some fantastic proposals. The main issue we have is balancing our allocations to ensure we cater to all of our delegates – so if your session isn’t chosen, it’s often a question of maths, and of balancing the sessions with each other, rather than of the quality of your submission.

Our Heads of Content do remember previous submissions they liked but didn’t have room to programme, though, and we do occasionally approach previous entrants in following years. So it’s ALWAYS worth submitting a proposal.


Do you offer feedback on seminar submissions?

Regrettably, due to the sheer volume of submissions, we are unable to offer feedback on individual sessions.


When and how will I find out if I my session has been accepted?

The call for papers submission closes mid-September, and the decision process normally takes at least a couple of weeks. The programme will launch in October, so you'll get an email from a member of our team confirming your session details most likely in early October.