Wong Kwan Yie Senior Lecturer, Department of Music, Faculty of Creative Arts, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 50603
ABSTRACT
Purpose: The objective of this study is to investigate the viewpoint and implementation of primary school music educators in China on the influence of popular music on students’ music curriculum acquisition. The study seeks to examine how primary school music teachers can effectively navigate and mitigate the adverse effects of popular music on the overall quality of school music education. This study seeks to examine these challenges in order to formulate efficacious recommendations and strategies for teachers to ensure that the learning results of students’ music lessons are closely matched with the curriculum standards. Method: A qualitative research method was used in this study, which was conducted among primary school teachers from six Zhengzhou city districts. Primary data were collected using semi-structured interviews. A detailed discussion was held with the six participants to understand their perspectives on the impact of popular music on students’ learning of school music and how they responded to these impacts. The interview information was coded using the constant comparative approach. This coding methodology facilitates the identification of trends, the generation of novel categories, and the establishment of links by researchers. Findings: The findings of the study showed that music teachers’ perspective on popular music is positive as it supports students’ learning of musical skills well. However, some of the negative impacts of popular music also challenged teachers to teach values. The findings also indicated that teachers often use the “bait-and-switch tactic” to guide students’ interest in learning school music. Conclusion: Educators bear the duty of cultivating accurate perspectives, varied artistic sensibilities, and the dissemination of national heritage. Consequently, due to the increasing inclination of students towards popular music, music educators must engage in more profound contemplation on how to effectively direct and nurture their pupils for educational objectives. This study contributes to the understanding of how teachers perceive and respond to the impact of popular music on students’ learning of school music education in the context of current media developments. The findings of the study underscore the importance of teacher training and updating of teaching methods to meet the spiritual requirements of patriotism and nationalism in the music curriculum standards, and offer suggestions on how to balance the conflict between popular music and school music education in the future.
