Conference Agenda
The Online Program of events for the 2026 AMS Annual Meeting appears below. This program is subject to change. The final program will be published in early November.
Use the "Filter by Track or Type of Session" or "Filter by Session Topic" dropdown to limit results by type. Some of the sessions are also color-coded: purple indicates performances, grey indicates paper forums, and orange indicates sessions which have been organized by one of the regional associations of IMS (ARLAC or IMSEA). (Sessions which are both IMS sessions and performances are only colored orange.)
Use the search bar to search by name or title of paper/session. Note that this search bar does not search by keyword.
Click on the session name for a detailed view (with participant names and abstracts).
Please note that all times are shown in the time zone of the conference. The current conference time is: 1st Sept 2026, 02:57:59am EDT
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Daily Overview |
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Forensic Musicology Then, Now, & Tomorrow | |
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Forensic Musicology Then, Now, & Tomorrow What is forensic musicology: where has it been, what are current issues in this small, yet growing, field, and what is the outlook for its future? Synthesizing recent AMS programming and cross-disciplinary research, this roundtable session represents the international, scholarly intersection of prominent figures across music publishing, infringement litigation, and musical-legal analysis. Panelists will examine the evolving field of forensic musicology. After articulating a working definition and history of forensic musicology as the applied study of music as intellectual property, panelists will consider how analytical methodologies—ranging from melodic and harmonic comparison to considerations of genre conventions and “scènes à faire”—have developed in response to both judicial expectations and creative processes. This discussion reveals urgent ethical questions about the responsibilities of expert witnesses, including maintaining neutrality and clear boundaries on the role of musical analysis in the evaluation of infringement claims; ensuring methodological transparency; and best practices for client engagement. Questions of credentialing, standards of practice, and efforts to form a study group or professional organization will also be considered. Panelists will critically assess the risks and opportunities presented by Artificial Intelligence (AI)-assisted forensic analysis, including issues of reliability, interpretability, and potential admissibility in court. They will further consider how the field is perched on the precipice of familiar, yet new, technological paradigms and how experts might adapt while preserving the nuanced, context-sensitive interpretations that define this discipline. Through this trenchant, public-facing discourse, panelists aim to situate forensic musicology while promoting dialogue with and among attendees. Questions from attendees will be encouraged throughout the session. | |