Anthony E. Kemp (January 2, 1934, July 8, 2026), music education scholar, music psychologist, organist and chorister

SEMPRE is deeply saddened by the passing of Professor Anthony E. (“Tony”) Kemp. As an influential scholar, educator and early figure in the development of the Society, Tony made a lasting contribution to music education and music psychology. We are honoured to share the following reflection from Professor Graham Welch, celebrating Tony’s life, scholarship and enduring legacy.

A Reflection by Professor Graham Welch

Dr, then Professor (then Reverend Professor!) Tony Kemp was a key early figure in the development of SEMPRE – formerly known as the Society for Research in the Psychology of Music and Music Education (SRPMME). The Society’s earliest biannual conferences tended to be held alternately in what became his international music education research centre at the University of Reading, or hosted by Dr Desmond Sergeant, first Editor of Psychology of Music, at what is now the University of Roehampton (previously the Froebel Institute, one of Roehampton’s four constituent Colleges).

Tony’s keen research interest, apart from music education in schools and music technology, related to the personality of musicians, a topic which informed his 1995 OUP book ‘The Musical Temperament: Psychology and Personality of Musicians’, which is still regarded as a major source. He also authored five early Psychology of Music (PoM) articles on this topic, two in 1981 related, respectively, to the personality traits of performers and composers, and three further PoM articles in 1982 focused on personality traits in music teachers, sex differences, and finally an overarching model. In 1999, he edited a Special Edition of PoM at the invitation of the (then) editor, Jane Davidson. This celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of music education at Reading in 1949, which had seen the launch of the first specialist postgraduate education course for music teachers as a university-based discipline in the UK. The PoM Special Edition also included items from our special one-day SRPMME conference at Reading on improvisation, which Tony had hosted and at which Keith Sawyer was the inspirational keynote. Tony had been appointed at Reading in 1973 and became Director of its Music Education Centre following Arnold Bentley’s retirement.

My regular contact with Tony was in part through the Society (in my role as its Treasurer for several years) and also through ISME, the International Society of Music Education. My first presentation at an ISME Research Seminar was in 1984 in Victoria, BC, and I have the fondest memories of a wonderfully stimulating week in the company of Tony and other international researchers. Tony presented empirical research on psychological androgyny in musicians, suggesting that successful musicians were likely to adopt cross-sex typed characteristics. As always, he was kind, thoughtful and encouraging, especially to newly graduated researchers such as me and Janet Mills who was also presenting her doctoral research. Subsequently, Tony and I became close colleagues through our shared diverse interests in music education over the next three decades. His retirement from Reading meant that our subsequent meetings were rarer following his move into the priesthood, but these occasional lunches confirmed his positivity, humanity, humour and continuing care for others. Tony accomplished much in our field and made a particular difference, both by hosting our one-day conferences at Reading that cemented the idea of a research community, and also by helping to establish the notion that all successful music education practice should be grounded in research, a principle which is now accepted as normal.

Further Reading

Readers wishing to learn more about Tony Kemp’s life and work may visit his personal website. An obituary by Panagiotis A. Kanellopoulos is also available.