David Dockan is an assistant professor of music education at Louisiana State University where he teaches elementary music methods, courses in teaching music in diverse settings, and where he champions the integration of popular music in the curriculum. His goal is to help teachers design a curriculum that mirrors the diverse musical landscape of their students’ lives. His research has been published in leading journals, including the Bulletin for the Council of Research in Music Education, the Music Educators Journal, and The Orff Echo, focusing on democratic music education, popular music pedagogies, and inclusive music classrooms. In 2022, he collaborated with Dr. Martina Vasil to develop a masterclass on Orff Schulwerk and popular music education. Dockan envisions classrooms where students create music that reflects their diverse experiences and cultural backgrounds.
Music teachers hold a great deal of power and agency in their classrooms, but carrying all these decisions alone can become a burden. This session explores what happens when we share that power with students to build a learning environment that can increasingly “run itself.” This session will look at practical ways to invite student voice into classroom routines, curriculum, and repertoire. Ideas shared include using student chosen music and skills as a pathway to validate musical identities and strengthen engagement, ownership, and buy-in.
An important goal for students is to develop pedagogical agency, and that only happens when teachers intentionally share the power of learning with them. In this session, participants will explore teaching practices that empower students to follow their curiosities, make meaningful choices, and increasingly guide their own learning journeys. The session will look at practical project-based flows that move from whole-class collaboration to individual creativity and expression.
