The international ‘Society for Musical Education’ was founded in Prague in 1934 by an international group of distinguished musicologists, musicians, politicians, and music administrators with the intention of promoting musical education within all parts of society. The ideological concept of the Society was mainly based on the reform ideas developed and disseminated by Leo Kestenberg. The Society was also strongly supported by the acting foreign minister of Czechoslovakia, Kamil Krofta. Within the foreign ministry, the pursuits of the Society were regarded as an ideal opportunity to present Czechoslovakia internationally as a young democracy in Central Europe. At the same time, however, Kestenberg and his Czech colleagues were strongly critisized by Czech national circles for promoting ‘foreign’ (Jewish and even, surprisingly, fascist) ideas. In a changing political climate, the ongoing discussions about the objectives of the Society demonstrate how musical culture was politicized in the 1930s, even in democratic countries.