Post-digital Practices in Music Teacher Training

Post-digital practices such as producing, DJing, sampling and remixing are as much an expression of contemporary music culture as making music on the web, in virtual spaces, or with artificial intelligence (e.g. Haenisch et al., 2023; Mazierska et al., 2019; Miranda, 2021). The qualification of these practices as post-digital indicates that (1) they could only emerge under conditions shaped by digitalization; that (2) at the same time they cannot be understood as exclusively digital, but are intertwined with analogue practices and processes in multiple ways; and that (3) researching these practices requires considering not only their technical dimension, but also their social, ecological, cultural, aesthetics and economic aspects, among other (e.g., Buchborn & Treß, 2023; Clements, 2018; Weidner & Stange, 2022).

Despite their relevance to both music and education, systematic research on these practices and their theory-based and empirically grounded translation into current and future music teacher training remains largely unexplored (e.g., Ahlers & Godau 2019; Feneberg 2022; Godau & Haenisch 2022; Kattenbeck 2023; Kattenbeck & Schaubruch [forthcoming]; Schaubruch & Krupp [forthcoming]). Therefore, this Special Issue aims to address this gap from music educational as well as inter- and transdisciplinary perspectives. Qualitative, quantitative, theoretical, and speculative contributions are welcome, as well as practice-based reports and experimental formats. Topics may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Research on post-digital practices (e.g., artistic strategies and techniques, aesthetics, artifacts, forms of knowledge and learning practices),
• Methodologies for researching post-digital practices (e.g., situation analysis, design-based research, actor-network theory),
• Characteristics of post-digital practices (e.g., hybridity, deterritorialization, algorithmization, connectivity, mobility),
• Translations of post-digital practices into music teacher training (e.g., teaching concepts, best practice examples, curricula, competence heuristics),
• Reflections on music didactic concepts of the post-digital (e.g., deeper learning, design-based learning, maker education),
• Integrative perspectives on post-digital practices (e.g., sustainability, diversity, power),
• General perspectives on the concept of post-digitality (e.g., potentials, challenges, ambivalences, criticism),
• Discussions of educational policy guidelines, recommendations, and perspectives (e.g., strategies of the UNESCO (like the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence) and the EU (like DigCompEdu)),
• …

Formats and guidelines

• Length: 25.000 – 50.000 characters incl. spaces, excl. references
• Language: German or English
• Formatting: Contributions must comply with current APA guidelines.
• Review: All contributions will undergo an open peer review process.
• Open Access: SUSTAIN publishes under the Diamond Open Access model – there are no fees for authors or readers.

Timeline

• Abstract submission: August 15, 2025 (working title, research question, method, expected results, etc.; max. 2.500 characters incl. spaces, excl. references)
• Full contribution submission: December 15, 2025
• Review feedback: February 15, 2026
• Publication: Contributions will be published on an ongoing basis after review process and compiled in a special issue in due course.

Please send your abstract to [email protected]. Full contributions will be submitted and peer-reviewed via the SUSTAIN Open Journal System.

We look forward to your contributions!

Sincerely,

Chris (Kattenbeck) & Josef (Schaubruch)