Ubuntu: A metaphor for the origins, role and development of the International Society for Music Education

The story of international cooperation in music education prior to the foundation of ISME has been documented by the author in two articles published in the IJME (McCarthy, 1993. 1995). Motivation to establish international networks of cooperation was stimulated and heightened by the occurrence and aftermath events of two world wars in the first half of this century. The raison dʹetre for ISME, founded in 1953, was grounded in the goals and ideals of Ubuntu - harmony among peoples, cooperation, empowerment, sharing of ideas and resources, and fraternity. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the appropriateness of the metaphor Ubuntu for an organization that originated in and developed around the ideals of this African term. While the ideals of Ubuntu have been alive in ISME from its beginning, the manifestation of those ideals may need to be revisited to reflect an even more humane and democratic approach to music education in a global context.