Abstract

Popular music has a relatively long history and a strong position in Nordic music education. It has been a part of Nordic music education practices for decades (Karlsen & Väkevä, 2012), and some consider the Nordic region ¹ as the most advanced in the field of popular music pedagogy (Hebert, 2011). Popular music is integrated in Nordic compulsory school curricula, as well as in higher music education, and could be said to enjoy a privileged position in music education. Lucy Green’s work (2002, 2009, 2014) has been seminal in the academic debate of popular music education, but it is worth noting that Nordic scholars have also published frequently in this area (e.g. Björck, 2011; Christophersen, 2009; Folkestad, 2006; Gullberg, 2010, 2002; Johansson, 2002; Lindgren & Ericsson, 2010; Onsrud, 2013; Partti, 2012; Snell & Söderman, 2014; Tønsberg, 2007; Väkevä, 2010, 2006; Westerlund, 2006). Popular music’s position in Nordic music education provides a solid basis for a critical perspective on popular music education practices.