EuNet MERYC 2025

European Network of Music Educators and Researchers of Young Children

12th Conference of the EuNet MERYC

Musical play for and by children

Welcome to Klaipėda, Lithuania. 14-17 May, 2025

Play is crucial in early childhood. Musical play has amazing power as it offers exposure to unique stories, memorable songs, and impressive sound landscapes. Musical play can be impactful on children’s growth and development, providing nurturing and transformative experiences. Overall, musical play is a natural and effective way for young children to learn and grow.

Researchers and practitioners who are interested in exploring musical play within the field of early childhood music education (age 0-8) are invited to submit their work for presentation.

Looking forward to meeting you in Klaipėda on May 14-17, 2025. We promise you four memorable days full of new ideas, research presentations, discussions with colleagues, concerts and musical performances, learning about Lithuanian culture and traditions of early childhood music education.

Call for Papers

The 12th MERYC Conference will be hosted by the Klaipėda faculty of the Lithuanian academy of music and theatre from the 14th to the 17th of May 2025. The conference title: Musical play for and by children. You are invited to submit proposals around this conference theme focusing on the following subtopics:

  • Theories of play as the basis for children’s creativity and musicality
  • Origins and nature of music play
  • Embodied arts for social and mental wellbeing
  • Music play throughout the day: variety of contexts and situations
  • Music play and technology: opportunities or challenges?

The focus of MERYC 2025 is interdisciplinary discussion and dissemination of new, unpublished research relating to the field of music in early childhood (0-8 years), in both school and extracurricular contexts, as well as everyday life. Both theoretical or conceptual research as well as reports on innovative approaches to practice are welcomed. The overarching aim of MERYC is to improve European research and practice relating to music and young children.

Authors of spoken papers and posters should also indicate one or more topic areas under which the paper might be grouped, as well as three keywords on the submission form. The chosen topic areas can be selected from the list below or a new topic area may be proposed.

Submission

Submissions are invited for:

  • Spoken papers: empirical, theoretical or practice (20 + 10 minutes discussion)
  • Posters
  • Symposia (90 minutes)
  • Workshops and Demonstrations

1. Spoken papers (empirical, theoretical or practice)

Spoken papers will be allocated 30 minutes, consisting of 20 minutes for presentation, 5-10 minutes for questions & discussion. Spoken research papers present research projects, explaining aims, methods (experimental, empirical investigation, ethnological observation, etc.), data analysis, findings, and conclusions. Spoken practice papers explain and demonstrate innovative didactical approaches/pedagogical theories, accompanied by a discussion on the implications for future practice.

2. Posters

Poster presentations will appear in the Conference Programme, in the Abstract Book, in the Proceedings, and will be assigned designated times in the conference schedule. Depending on the subject and/or content, it may be more appropriate to submit an abstract as a poster for visual presentation rather than a 20-minute spoken presentation. In general, the sorts of papers, which are most effective as posters are those in which the major conclusions become evident from the thoughtful examination of charts, graphs and photos rather than those, which require the audience to follow sustained verbal argumentation. Therefore, authors should make points in narrative form as brief as possible. The poster paper can “stand alone”, that is, to be understandable even if the author is not present; It does not typically require audio-visual support. Specific information about poster dimensions and other requirements will be communicated to authors of accepted posters.

3. Symposia

Symposia consist of a set of spoken papers related to a theme. The total time allowed for a symposium will be 90 to 120 minutes, consisting of three to four 25-minute papers and a discussion. Symposium conveners are asked to coordinate the submission of papers – including an abstract for the entire symposium – stating the rationale for the topic, the aims of the symposium, and the set of proposed speakers (see detailed submission information below). A discussant may also be proposed.

4. Workshops and Demonstrations

Information on workshops and demonstrations will appear in the Conference Programme, in the Abstract Book, and in the Proceedings. The host university may provide equipment in the form of instruments or other materials if precise information is provided in the proposal. The workshop leaders should be experts in young children’s music education and in preparing music teachers and educators. They will present practical shared experiences according to specific aims and pedagogical approaches. A demonstration of an innovative pedagogical approach is likely to take the form of a workshop in which participants join in actively. For demonstrations of software or equipment, authors will be responsible for ensuring that the necessary equipment is available. The submission for workshops and demonstrations should include a short description of the aims (which should not have a commercial motive) and a full description of the equipment and facilities required. The maximum time for a workshop will be 60 minutes, and 30 minutes for a demonstration session.

Important Dates

15 November, 2024 – abstract submission

15 January, 2025 – answer on acceptance of abstracts

15 January – 1 April, 2025 – early bird registration

2 April – 10 May, 2025 – lazy bird registration

14-17 May, 2025 – CONFERENCE

20 May, 2025 – paper submission deadline. Contributions will be published in the MERYC2025 Proceedings if at least one of the authors of the paper is registered before May 10th, 2025.

Conference Programme

05.14 Wednesday

  • 10 am – 12 noon: Walking tour in Klaipėda
  • 1 pm – 6 pm: Conference
  • 6 pm: Evening concert

05.15 Thursday

  • 9 am – 6 pm: Conference
  • 7 pm: Conference dinner

05.16 Friday

  • 9 am – 6 pm: Conference
  • 6 pm: Evening concert

05.17 Saturday

  • 9 am – 1 pm: Conference
  • 1 pm: Closing ceremony
  • 2 pm: Excursion to Neringa (optional)

Practical Information

To be updated.

Arrival

Klaipeda is situated on the Baltic Sea, on the beautiful western coast of the Republic of Lithuania. It is possible to travel to the city by sea, land, and air.

By Air

  • Palanga International Airport is 25 km from Klaipeda. Car rental and taxi services available (approx. 25 Eur). More information on available services: Airport Express
  • Riga International Airport is 307 km from Klaipeda. It is possible to get to Klaipėda from Riga international airport by a microbus (the duration of the trip is approximately 4 hours, the ticket costs 30 EUR). More information and ticket reservations: Airport Express
  • Vilnius International Airport is 308 km from Klaipeda. It is possible to get to Klaipėda from Vilnius international airport by a microbus (the duration of the trip is approximately 4 hours, the ticket costs 25 EUR) or by train. More information and ticket reservations: Airport Express
  • Kaunas International Airport is 213 km from Klaipeda. It is possible to get to Klaipėda from Kaunas international airport by a microbus (the duration of the trip is approximately 3 hours, the ticket costs 22 EUR). More information and ticket reservations: Airport Express

By Ferry

An International ferry terminal is situated 18 km away from the city centre (a 45-minute drive by taxi or car). Regular ferry lines for passengers, cars, and cargo:

  • Klaipėda – Kiel (Germany)
  • Klaipėda – Sassnitz (Germany)
  • Klaipėda – Karlshamn (Sweden)

More information: DFDS Seaways

By Bus

The Klaipėda Bus station is a 15-minute walk from the centre of town.

More information on the Klaipėda city bus network: Klaipėda City Bus Network

More information on other bus services: Eurolines

By Train

The Klaipėda Train station is next to the Bus station, a 15-minute walk from the centre of town. More information: Lithuanian Railways

Hotel Options

To be updated.

Conference Venue

MERYC2025 will be hosted by Klaipėda Faculty of Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. The Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA) is an internationally recognised higher education institution which trains artists for a professional career in music, theatre, dance and film. LMTA currently hosts about 1,000 students in three study cycles – Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral – in its three faculties, two of which are based in Vilnius, one in Klaipėda. The Klaipėda faculty is situated in the western part of Lithuania, in a centre of the port city with a music theatre, a drama theatre, a thriving jazz festival and an ‘open culture factory’. Klaipėda faculty is a significant and distinctive centre of culture and art for western Lithuania that actively participates in the life of the city and the region by developing a creative society and involving it in cultural activities. Music education research and music teacher training has been organised at this faculty for more than 50 years.

K. Donelaičio 4, 92144 Klaipėda, Lithuania

Conference Venue

Submission and Registration

To be updated.

Touristic Information

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