42st annual conference “Music in the Social Space” (2026, Kassel)

Organizers

• Call for Papers (end of January)
• Opening of submissions in ConfTool (early March)
• Submission deadline (May 1)
• Notification to authors of acceptance (June 15)
• Final version of poster for the poster award (August 15)

The Call for Papers will be published shortly via the DGM newsletter and on the website.

Conference Topic

The 42nd Annual Conference of the German Society for Music Psychology (DGM) is entitled “Music in the Social Space.” The conference focuses on the psychological foundations of music as a social practice that connects individuals, shapes communities, and can enable both individual and collective empowerment. In line with the conference theme, we invite contributions that address how musical activity is experienced, negotiated, and becomes effective across different social spaces—for example, in communities, educational contexts, digital environments, or public spaces. Contributions relating to all musical genres as well as to the performance and practice of non-Western music are explicitly welcome.

As in previous years, the conference will also include open-topic submissions in other areas of music psychology. The doctoral workshop will take place on 10 and 11 September. All information regarding registration will be communicated in due course via the newsletter and the conference website.

Submission of contributions

Scientific contributions may be submitted either in relation to the conference theme or as open-topic contributions. The presentation formats are: paper presentation (20 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of discussion) or poster presentation (A0 portrait format, including presentation); both formats are considered scientifically equivalent by the DGM. Abstracts must be submitted by 1 May 2026 via ConfTool (opens soon). Further relevant information will be provided here on the website and via newsletter.

Each submission must state a clear research question and be structured into background, methodology, results, and conclusion. Following anonymous peer review, authors will be notified by 15 June 2026 whether their contribution has been accepted for inclusion in the conference programme. In the event of a high number of positively reviewed paper submissions, some contributions will be accepted as posters. Revised versions of the abstracts (maximum 500 words) in publication-ready German or English must be submitted by 15 July 2026 for inclusion in the digital conference reader. Submissions received after the deadline or not meeting the formal requirements cannot be considered.

A poster award will be conferred during the conference to a non-doctoral early-career researcher (first author). Please indicate at the time of submission whether you wish to be considered for this award.