Music and the Extended Mind: A Conference on Musical Intelligence in the 21st Century

Call for Papers

Submission Deadline: July 7, 2026

For submissions and inquiries, email: Music-21CMP@fsu.edu

Hosted by Florida State University – May 5-6, 2027

Florida State University’s College of Music and the 21st Century Music Practice network (C21MP) invites submissions that explore the radical developments in musical thinking and activity emerging in our contemporary landscape. Under the overarching theme of Musical Intelligence, we examine what music can reveal about intelligence itself, and conversely, how understanding music as intelligent activity rather than mere artifact transforms our engagement with musical practice.

Conference Format: Pre-Recorded Papers with Live Panel Discussion

This conference uses a “flipped” presentation model designed to maximize discussion time. Accepted presenters will pre-record 20-minute presentations, uploaded to our website prior to the conference. Papers are organized into themed panels of three, with a moderator facilitating discussion. During live sessions, each presenter gets 2 minutes to introduce their work before engaging in extended panel discussion, followed by audience Q&A. All panelists are expected to have viewed the pre-recorded presentations and come prepared with questions.

See example from our previous conference: CLICK HERE

Conference Themes

We are seeking submissions that explore any of the following themes:

New Approaches to Music Research

How do performance, composition, and production qualify as research? Contributors are encouraged to explore the intersection of artistic creativity and scholarly inquiry, particularly addressing knowledge communication and transferability.

Instruments and Technology as Extended Mind

Musical technologies simultaneously focus attention and open creative possibilities—a tension often unspoken in design decisions. How do new technologies act as extensions of the musical mind, embodying cultural rules while enabling transcendence of traditional boundaries? Participants will explore how this dual nature of constraint and liberation shapes contemporary musical practice.

New Modes of Music Making and Creative Practice

How are contemporary technologies enabling new forms of musical expression? Contributors will address innovative performance practices, creative abuse of technology, computer-assisted composition, algorithmic processes, and “digital serendipity” in generative systems.

Technologies of Sound Past and Future: Recurring Patterns in Musical Thought

Musical tools have always extended the mind outward, reshaping composition, performance, listening, and memory. Participants will consider historical and cross-cultural perspectives on how musical traditions have responded to technological shifts, examining patterns that might inform contemporary ethical and artistic questions.

Generative Technology and Musical Agency

Given that machine learning systems learn from existing material, how does this relate to creativity and authorship? Participants will examine the philosophical and practical dimensions of human and generative collaboration in musical contexts.

Redefining Ownership: Music Business and Entrepreneurship in the Digital Age

AI-generated content challenges traditional authorship while new distribution models concentrate profits among platform intermediaries. Are we witnessing music-making’s transformation into a hobby for all but the highest achievers, or are emerging business models creating sustainable pathways for professional creativity? Submitters are encouraged to focus on tensions between technological innovation and creative sustainability.

Pedagogy and Technology: AI as Educational Partner

How can artificial intelligence serve as a meaningful tool in music education? Participants will explore AI-driven composition software, intelligent theory tutors, real-time performance feedback systems, and automated analysis, emphasizing practical applications and the evolving relationship between technology and musicianship.

Technology and New Audiences

How are musicians using technology to reach and engage new audiences? Contributors are encouraged to present case studies and theoretical frameworks that examine how technological mediation transforms listener engagement and democratizes access to diverse musical practices.

Submission Guidelines

We welcome diverse approaches and encourage traditional academic research

practice-based investigations

, and live performances

. The conference committee will organize accepted submissions into thematically coherent panels designed to maximize productive exchange between complementary perspectives.

Submission Types:

Traditional research papers
Practice-based research presentations
Research challenge proposals: Proposals for collaborative research sessions where participants work together to explore specific musical problems or tasks related to the conference themes. These sessions create new knowledge through collective investigation and reflection.
Performance proposals: Submit up to 5 minutes of audio or video of representative recordings of the performer (this need not be the proposed performance—it’s to gauge the performer’s ability), as well as a description of the piece being performed at the conference. Pieces should be no longer than 10 minutes.

Abstract Requirements:

300 to 500 words
Clear articulation of your contribution to one or more conference themes
Brief methodology or approach statement
Technical requirements (if applicable for practice-based work)
For research challenge proposals: outline of the specific problem or task, expected outcomes, and facilitation approach