ABSTRACT
This chapter examines a co-taught university course on popular music. It also examines the interplay between concept and practice of learning and teaching popular music in- and outside of institutional spaces. The chapter provides a contextualized definition of 'space' and its uses based on Lefebvre's concept of space as a produced condition and on Lim et al.'s categorization of classroom space. It discusses a popular music course incorporating Occupy Wall Street (OWS) and its spatial parameters, and how bringing popular music into the classroom as both content and pedagogy blurs the lines between institutional and non-institutional spaces. The chapter describes a course on popular music that used contemporary political issues to facilitate a space where students could become engaged with their own learning, not only through music-making, but also by actively engaging with the surrounding community. Academic spaces became active parts of a dialogue that integrated institutional and non-institutional domains and encouraged students to create multiple narratives.
