Popular Music in a 21st Century Education

Abstract

In this paper, the author shares his thoughts regarding the future role of popular music in music education at a moment when there seems to be greater receptiveness to this idea than ever before. What is the reason for this increased receptiveness? It may be that music educators have sensed that a new playing field has evolved. There is now some precedent for using popular music in the classroom, general music classrooms in particular, to achieve the traditional instructional goals of formal American music education. Criteria for scrutinizing popular music repertories and learning strategies have been refined and have become clearer, which helps teachers select music for specific learning outcomes and adopt methods that are student-centered. He outlines some of the primary issues and challenges in preparing future music educators to think more broadly about musicality and develop the skills and sensibilities required to meaningfully incorporate popular music into the school music curriculum. These include (1) examining people's conceptions of musicality while understanding that they change and how they change over time; (2) developing a broader view of the role of popular music in students' lives; and (3) facing the challenges of new roles for teachers and learners in the classroom.