ABSTRACT
This chapter examines what constitutes popular culture in the Malaysian music industry covering the influences and characteristics of popular genres including events and technologies that affected the styles and songs that changed the face of the Malaysian popular music industry. It examines the influences of popular culture on the Malaysian education system, specifically in the music curriculum and co-curricular music activities. Western colonisation had a wide impact on Malaysian music cultures and colonialists introduced their own heritages and music to the people. According to Chopyak, the first influence of foreign culture on Malaysian music can be traced to the arrival of the Portuguese in the 16th century. The emphasis on Malaysian traditional music is important for the preservation of cultural heritage and for cultivating cultural identity. The Malaysian school music curriculum emphasises an intercultural approach to music education in order to recognise the diversity of cultures within the country.
