The chance to network with people from all around the world
mdw faculty Lisa Herger at the SEADOM congress in Kuala Lumpur
The 13th annual SEADOM, Southeast Asian Directors of Music, Congress took place at Sunway University in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from March 7-9, 2024. The Congress hotels were located at the Sunway Pyramid, Malayia’s first themed shopping mall, a sprawling complex which, with a retail floor area exceeding 400,000 m2, is literally twice the size of the Viennese shopping mall SCS. It was a challenge finding my way through the mall corridors from the hotel to the University that first day (and, to be honest, on the days following, too). At one point that first morning, I felt quite lost, but then I spotted a group of 20- somethings all carrying metal water bottles. “They must be Sunway students,” I thought. Sunway University is a plastic bottle-free zone. You have to bring your own metal bottle if you want to bring water on campus. I had packed one especially for this trip. It turned out they were indeed Sunway students and they led me to the school.
Kuala Lumpur, or KL as the locals call it, is a city carved out of the jungle. It all started with a group of tin miners back in 1857. I was reminded of this as I walked across the “canopied walkway”, a bridge that extends over the entire Sunway Amusement Park, connecting the shopping mall to Sunway University. I passed under a sign that reads, “Caution you are walking over a live tiger exhibit.” Sure enough, I leaned over to look down and spotted a tiger stretched out, resting on a rock. Just your typical day walking to the University for these students.
SEADOM serves a function in Southeast Asia that is similar to the function AEC, Association Européenne des Conservatoires, Académies de Musique et Musikhochschulen, serves in Europe. It is a cultural and educational network of over 80 members from 10 Southeast Asian countries and throughout the world. It represents the interests of those institutions and provides a platform where ideas and best practices can be shared and collaborations can be formed. Together, the members work for the advancement of musical education in the region. Since the first Congress in 2008 at Mahidol University in Thailand, Congresses have been held in Laos, Indonesia, Malysia, Myanmar, The Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. There are many Associate Members and several of them are from European countries, such as: Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia and Scotland.
This was my first time attending a SEADOM congress and I was impressed by the powerful positive energy in the group. The focus of the 13th Congress was, “Heritage and Evolving Identities in Southeast Asia”. Questions of what brings the members together as well as what sets them apart from each other in terms of identity, culture and history are key to the group which is striving to define and strengthen the Southeast Asian identity and role in higher education in music.
This 13th session of the SEADOM Congress marks the first time that the AEC’s MusiQuE, Music quality enhancement, offered its Peer Reviewer Training in that part of the world. The training was offered as a prequel to the Congress. This was my 4th time doing the training and it was as engaging as ever! It was a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the processes and best practices in higher education in music in the world in general and at the mdw specifically.
One of the best parts about the meetings like this is the chance to network and exchange ideas with people doing similar work with similar goals from all around the world. While the sessions were fascinating some of the best information is gleaned “zwischen Tür und Angel” or on the wing. When you bring musicians, educators and leaders together great ideas are hatched. The group can be a force for positive change and growth in higher education in music in the region and beyond.
The 14th session of the SEADOM Congress will be held from March 6-8, 2025 at the Princess Galyani Vadhana Institute of Music in Bangkok, Thailand. It will be interesting to see how the group evolves and affects positive change and development between now and then.
Impressions of Kuala Lumpur:
