The educational aspects of integrating popular music into lessons

Solving the pedagogical dilemma of popular music a number of questions arouse: can popular music educate? How can it educate? What factors predetermine the educational impact of popular music? How to differentiate between appropriate and inappropriate music? Or perhaps, popular music is a problem of society’s culture, then how to solve this problem? Is popular music a sign of bad taste? Can we perceive values in popular music under changing moral norms? Is music evaluated using norms of “elite” music? The formulated questions allow to state that the influence of popular music on school learners is undisputed, therefore, it is significant to search for ways to use it in primary education. The goal is to reveal educational possibilities of popular music integration applying active education methods in music lessons of primary formers. The research is based on the educational project, which was implemented in the 2nd-4th forms of primary school. Choosing characteristic popular music compositions and evoking school learners’ artistic experiences, the idea of personal meaning and emotional imitation methods were regarded as important during the educational project. This is supremely significant conveying a specific perception of music. The research on enrichment of music curriculum with attractive music forms disclosed that popular music occupies an exceptional place in the music value scale of learners, provides experience of positive emotions and can serve as a meaningful means for promotion of value-based attitudes of junior school learners. Integration of popular music into primary music education helps to implement one of the most important goals – to provide necessary music education, which would contribute to creating foundations for self-perception and positive relations with other peopleVytauto Didžiojo universitetasŠvietimo akademij