Popular Music as a Pedagogical Resource for Musicianship - Contextual Listening, Prolongations, Mediant Relationships, and Musical Form

Abstract

Recent trends in music scholarship have emphasized the importance of popular music through in-depth analyses and historical studies. Those of us who were brought up in households where this genre was the dominant musical presence have long been aware of its emotional power and pedagogical usefulness. Indeed, given the amount of time our students spend engaged with this music, it should be brought into the classroom and accorded the serious consideration it deserves. Popular music can provide teachers of undergraduate musicianship courses with an endless supply of pedagogically relevant examples that make lasting impressions on our students.