MPWS 2025: Inaugural symposium of the Music and Parental Wellbeing Research Network

We are delighted that the call for contributions is open for the inaugural Music and Parental Wellbeing Symposium (MPWS) taking place at the Royal College of Music London and online | 22-23 July 2025 

The Music and Parental Wellbeing Symposium will bring together interdisciplinary and international delegates to advance understanding of how music can support parental wellbeing. The Symposium will include in-person and online joining options and there will be no registration fee.  

Day 1 includes keynote contributions (to be announced) and parallel sessions based on delegate contributions. 
Day 2 includes a policy-facing panel and roundtable discussions, culminating in the planned launch of an alliance to push forwards future work on music and parental wellbeing. 

Call for contributions 
We welcome in-person or online contributions from a wide range of viewpoints relevant to music and parental wellbeing, including practice descriptions, practice examples, research, evaluation, lived experience perspectives, and policy/implementation examples. We particularly welcome contributions that address one of the three key questions underpinning the work of the Music and Parental Wellbeing Research Network (MPWRN):  

1. What musical practices could be used to support parents in a wide range of contexts?  
2. How can music practitioners working in this area be supported and cared for?  
3. How can music be implemented as a sustainable part of parental wellbeing practices and policies?  

Call closing date

The call for contributions closes on Friday 22 November at 2359 GMT. No late entries will be considered.

Types of contributions 
Contributions can be in one of three formats:  

• 15-minute contribution (online or in-person) 
• 5-minute lightning contribution (pre-recorded only, plus live Q+A)
• online poster contribution (online only) 

Focus of contributions

We would be delighted to receive contributions in the following categories: 

• Description of practice 
• Example of practice 
• Lived experience perspective 
• Research findings 
• Evaluation findings 
• Policy or implementation perspective
• Others (not included above)

How to submit

To submit, you will be asked to provide information on the type of delivery and focus of your contribution and to provide some details such as the names of any co-contributors. You will also be asked to write a short description of your contribution (max 250 words) covering the aim of your contribution, the main focus of your contribution, and what your what your contribution adds to our understanding of music and parental wellbeing.

All contributions will be peer reviewed according to three criteria: relevance to the topic of music and parental wellbeing, quality of the main ideas being suggested, and clarity of the submission. The Symposium language will be English.  

For the submission form which includes detailed guidance and how to submit, please click below:

Please note that we are committed to making the live event as accessible as possible including for parents with young babies. We are aware that the venue (RCM London) may not be fully accessible for some presenters and delegates for a range of reasons. We plan to provide a live-streamed online option to support accessibity. However, we might not be able to fully recreate the live symposium experience online or cover every time zone requirement. The event will run during working hours in the UK, and recordings will be available.