The learning of popular music: a pedagogical model for music educators

Abstract

In order to evaluate the effects of an integrated curriculum on the learning of popular music, the Sting Curriculum was designed for senior secondary students of mixed ability. This nine-week program was presented to a sample of students aged between 16 and 18 years in urban Sydney (Australia). This article draws on some of the results from this broader study, examining the dynamic relationships between the three music learning activities of listening, performance, and composition, and extraneous variables (evident in the teacher and student samples). After a pilot study and implementation of the Sting Curriculum, student learning in popular music was measured using a specially constructed test. Test scores and data relating to the extraneous variables were analysed using stepwise multiple regression analysis, chi square (nonparametric) tests, and correlations using the Pearson r correlation coefficients function within SPSS for the Macintosh. The results indicate that students in the sample achieved high scores on the test when a greater emphasis was placed on performance than on the listening and composition activities. It is suggested that the Sting Curriculum was successful as a vehicle for learning popular music, providing students with an integrated and sequential program that motivated participants to become immersed in the music. In the context of an integrated curriculum, popular music learning was enhanced when teachers utilized a pedagogical approach which emphasized the performance activity.