What does this research mean for the field?

Integrating popular music into music theory curricula requires redefining music theory itself to include parameters like production and groove, which can be achieved through a hybrid framework of a style-inclusive core followed by genre-specific modules. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.METHODOLOGICAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.CHALLENGES_CONSENSUS.

What question did this study set out to answer?

To evaluate whether popular music should be instructed via dedicated genre tracks or integrated into a unified core curriculum, resolving tensions between theoretical coherence and musical pluralism.

August 30, 2026Journal of Popular Music Education

One theory or many? Popular music as a separate pedagogical stream in music theory and composition

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

To evaluate whether popular music should be instructed via dedicated genre tracks or integrated into a unified core curriculum, resolving tensions between theoretical coherence and musical pluralism.
Conducted a comparative analysis of music theory and composition programme models across universities and conservatories in the United States, the United Kingdom, Africa, and other regions.
Evaluated the epistemic characteristics of popular music, including loop harmony, groove, and digital audio workstation authorship, against institutional limits such as faculty competency and accreditation.
Demonstrated that traditional classical foundations inadequately capture essential contemporary parameters such as groove, studio production, and loop-based structures.
Formulated a hybrid curricular architecture that pairs an integrated, cross-genre core in notation and harmony with specialized depth modules for songwriting, jazz, and non-Western traditions.

Discussion

No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.

Implication

Comparative curricular analysis reveals structural limitations of classical models in higher music education, suggesting a hybrid core-and-modular framework.

Cite This Study

Alfred Patrick Addaquay (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a93f0e06c1a8fb52e79d5ba https://doi.org/10.1386/jpme_00188_1

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Implication

Comparative curricular analysis reveals structural limitations of classical models in higher music education, suggesting a hybrid core-and-modular framework.

One theory or many? Popular music as a separate pedagogical stream in music theory and composition

Key Points

Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

One theory or many? Popular music as a separate pedagogical stream in music theory and composition

Key Points

Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

Also Consider

Also Consider