Biography

Alexandra Kertz-Welzel, PhD, is dean, professor and chair of music education at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich (Germany).

She obtained a PhD in musicology from Saarland University in Saarbruecken (Germany), as well as master's degrees in music education, German studies, philosophy, piano performance, and harpsichord performance. From 2002-2005, she was postdoctoral researcher and visiting scholar at the University of Washington in Seattle (United States). From 2005-2011, she was high school teacher and lecturer in music education at the University of Music in Saarbruecken (Germany). Since April 2011, she is professor and chair of music education at LMUin Munich. From 2021 to 2025, she was also professor II at University of Inland Norway in Hamar (Norway).

With research interests in international music education, philosophy and sociology of music education, music education policy, community music, and children's musical cultures, she has regularly presented at national and international conferences, including many keynotes. She is author and editor of several books and a frequent contributor to leading journals in music education. Since June 2025, she is editor of the international journal “Philosophy of Music Education Review.” Her book, "Globalizing music education" was published by Indiana University Press in 2018. Her most recent book „Rethinking music education and social change" has been published by Oxford University Press in 2021.

In addition, she was Excellence Initiative Mentor of the Faculty of History and the Arts at LMU from 2011-2017 and director of the School of Arts at LMU from 2018-2020. Since Octiber 2023, she is dean of the Faculty of History and the Arts at LMU. Furthermore, since September 2021, she is liaison professor (Vertrauensdozentin) and mentor of the German Academic Scholarship Foundation (Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes).

Alexandra Kertz-Welzel has been active in international societies for many years. She was chair of the International Society for the Philosophy of Music Education (ISPME) from 2017-2019 and co-chair of the ISME Commission on Policy: Culture, Education and Media from 2016-2018. Additionally, she is an editorial board member of many international peer-reviewed journals.