“Looka There, Looka There Now”: Using Beyoncé to Challenge Genre in the Music Classroom

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 10:50 am Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Decolonizing Sound: Intersections of Reggaeton, Hip Hop, and Social Justice (Table 5)

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to present a new framework for music teaching in the pk-20 classroom using the challenges and themes presented in Beyoncé’s music, Cowboy Carter specifically, and the pedagogical tenets of hip-hop pedagogy. We operationalized the following research questions to guide our inquiry:
1. How do music classrooms adhere to or challenge genre?
2. What are the most prominent aspects of Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album?
3. How can the challenges presented in Cowboy Carter be used in PK-20 music classrooms to expand conventional music education pedagogy?

Authors

• Bri'Ann Wright, California State University - Fullerton

• Christian Michael Folk, University of Texas at Austin