APME Miami 2026: Full Schedule

Welcome to the APME Miami 2026 Conference!
Here you can register and update your Sched profile. A draft schedule will be available March 1, when you’ll be able to explore sessions and build your agenda.

Questions? Visit our website or email [email protected].

Join us June 4–6 at the Frost School of Music, University of Miami, as we celebrate the rhythms, relationships, and revolutions shaping popular music education.

You will be able to validate your attendance (Check-In to sessions) using your personal schedule.

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10:20am EDT

Defanging the Canon Monster: Reducing the Friction of Building Quality Setlists

Friday June 5, 2026 10:20am - 10:45am EDT

Volpe 207 @ Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

The concept of a “canon” in popular music has often been framed as exclusionary, privileging certain works while marginalizing others. Yet, when reimagined not as a gatekeeping mechanism but as a curated resource, canonization offers substantial pedagogical advantages. By establishing a structured catalog of exemplary songs, educators and students gain a shared repository from which to draw, streamlining the process of selecting high-quality and diverse repertoire. This curated approach reduces friction in assembling setlists for performance, rehearsal, or even informal jam sessions, allowing students to engage with influential works while maintaining flexibility and creativity. Importantly, the transition from printed scores to digital platforms amplifies these benefits: catalogs can be expanded, annotated, and shared in real time, supporting collaborative growth and responsive updates. Rather than confining musical exploration, this post-print curation empowers learners to navigate a simulatneously curated and dynamic landscape of repertoire, fostering both historical awareness and contemporary relevance. This presentation argues for a shift in perspective: canonization need not be a “monster” that restricts access, but a practical tool that facilitates discovery, skill-building, and collective musical engagement in the modern classroom and online communities.

Speakers

Dr. Tom Zlabinger

Associate Professor of Music, York College / CUNY

Dr. Tom Zlabinger is an Associate Professor of Music at York College in New York City and a leading figure in popular music education, serving as Founding President of the Association of Popular Music Education's New York Chapter (APME-NY). With a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from the... Read More →

Friday June 5, 2026 10:20am - 10:45am EDT
Volpe 207 Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

📚Research (25), Community Music

Audience Culture and Belonging

11:20am EDT

Lessons from the first AI Songwriting course. Berklee students take on the future.

Friday June 5, 2026 11:20am - 12:20pm EDT

Volpe 203 @ Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

In Berklee’s first AI Songwriting course, I welcome both skeptics and superusers. The class centers on tough conversations: validating fears and ethics while zooming out to the bigger picture. Students leave ready to create with AI on purpose, and to compete in a world where everyone else will, too.

Speakers

Ben Camp

Professor of Songwriting, Berklee College of Music

Ben Camp is a professor of Songwriting at Berklee College of Music, and an advisor at Suno. Ben has taught over 2,000 students, is a gold record writer and producer, and has amassed over 300 million streams with songs for Tiesto, Brice Fox, Victoria Justice, and on networks like HBO... Read More →

Friday June 5, 2026 11:20am - 12:20pm EDT
Volpe 203 Volpe Building, San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, FL, USA

🎈Pop 10! (55), Songwriting/Production