Expanding Access Through Popular Music - Supplemental handout
This handout accompanies my presentation, “Expanding Access Through Popular Music: Reaching Students Beyond Traditional Ensembles,” at Music Education and Students with Disabilities and/or Those Living in Poverty: A NAfME Symposium.
Popular music approaches, including modern band, songwriting, and music technology, can create more entry points into school music. This resource helps you bring the presentation’s ideas into your own teaching by asking: Who is still outside our music programs? What is getting in the way of participation? What could we change?
You’ll find examples organized around four places to change the design: task, tool, environment, and support. The accompanying “Your Monday Plan” worksheet invites you to identify a student or group you want to reach, consider a barrier, and plan a change that supports a meaningful musical contribution. It also makes room for student choice, continued growth, and reflection on what happens.
Use it during the presentation or return to it afterward as you explore ways for more students to make music, share their ideas, and find a place in your classroom.
