Date
6-26-2025
Department
School of Music
Degree
Doctor of Music Education (DME)
Chair
Karen M. Kuehmann
Keywords
Kodály, popular music, informal music learning practices, music education practices, elementary music education
Disciplines
Educational Methods | Music
Recommended Citation
Parker, Maurine Floyd, "Student and Teacher Perspectives on Blending Popular Music Pedagogies into Kodály-Based Elementary Music Classes" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 7157.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/7157
Abstract
Kodály instructors in the United States train music educators to use American folk songs and classical Western European music as a foundation for students’ lessons; however, American music classrooms today look very different from the 1940s Hungarian classrooms when Zoltán Kodály developed his philosophy for teaching music, and there is a current need to include music that reflects the diverse student population within our schools. While Kodály “purists” may be hesitant to add music outside the realm of folk songs and art music, doing so may provide today’s learners the relevancy to stay engaged as valued members of the music classroom. Zoltán Kodály based his philosophy of sequential teaching on children joyfully singing Hungarian folk songs and art music of the masters to preserve his nation’s identity and promote music literacy. Keeping the tradition of the Kodály philosophy while adding popular music within the Kodály sequence addresses the necessity of providing 21st-century students living within a pluralistic society the opportunity to see and hear themselves through the music they prefer to listen to and create. This study examined the benefits and challenges of blending formal music instruction with popular music and informal music learning practices. Collected data of student pre-and post-surveys, classroom observations, and responses reflected 4th-grade students’ perspectives in Kodály-certified teachers’ general music classes. Likewise, teacher interviews and responses reflected their perspectives. The implications of this exploratory study could lead to further research in assessing student learning by blending popular music and informal music learning practices with students in classrooms utilizing other methodologies.
