The Centre for Music Education and Human Flourishing (CeMEHF) is committed to advancing understanding of how music and music education can contribute to individual and collective flourishing through research, practice, teaching, and public engagement.
CeMEHF consolidates and amplifies the University of York’s longstanding and internationally recognised expertise in music education. This tradition is rooted in the pioneering work of Professor John Paynter (1969–1994) and has been reinvigorated more recently through the leadership of Emeritus Reader Liz Haddon, whose contributions reshaped music education at York and led to our highly successful MA programmes and to a community of doctoral research students in music education.
Building on this legacy, the Centre provides a coherent institutional identity for research and practice addressing music education in relation to human flourishing, ethics, creativity, and social interaction.
Drawing on the established strengths of the School of Arts and Creative Technologies at the University of York and its national and international partners, the Centre develops interdisciplinary initiatives that foster dialogue between scholars, practitioners, funders, and policymakers. Underpinned by the core values of creativity, inclusion, and curiosity, CeMEHF is committed to informing, developing, and empowering music education practice and research in the UK and beyond, fostering meaningful educational impact across diverse cultural and institutional contexts.
The Centre is based at the Ron Cooke Hub of the University of York, located on the lakeside on Campus East.
Liability & Copyright
The contents of this website are checked carefully before they are disseminated. However, we hold no responsibility whatsoever for the accuracy, completeness or validity of its content. Therefore, we can in no case be made liable for errors or omissions of any kind. The contents of our website are available for online access on the world wide web. Copyright and rights of use for texts, design, and source code are the property of the respective authors.