Engaging with Popular Music from a Cultural Standpoint: A Concept-Oriented Framework

Abstract

The last two decades in the North America have seen a resurgence of scholarly and practitioner activities advocating for integrating more popular music in music classrooms both through repertoire and pedagogy. However, the emphasis has been on Western-oriented popular music practices, neglecting those of other cultures, even though there is a major increase in population diversity occurring in the United States and Canada. This article examines the concept-oriented framework, through which, instead of exploring popular music geographically, one can engage with the wider concept of popular music across cultures. The framework consists of a central concept selected by music teachers and students and is contextualized by various areas of exploration. Popular music can play an influential, transformative, and socially just role in improving numerous situations.