ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to examine the patterns of Korean traditional music (gugak) selections in the 2022 revised elementary school curriculum for grades 1-2 integrated subjects and discuss their content appropriateness. To achieve this, we reviewed the 2022 revised elementary school integrated curriculum for grades 1-2 and analyzed the characteristics and trends of gugak pieces included in the “Pleasant Life“ (Jeulgeoun Saenghwal) section. We also analyzed two aspects: the content linkage between the curriculum themes and gugak pieces, and the appropriateness of song selection. The results are as follows: First, while gugak plays an important role in fostering students’ cultural identity and artistic experience, it was often not well integrated with the themes of the textbook or was used merely for supplementary activities. Second, there were issues with the appropriateness of song selection. Many pieces were either too difficult for the developmental level of the students or irrelevant to the curriculum themes. Third, the lack of diversity in the gugak pieces and the presence of content errors were also identified. Finally, it became apparent that music education was primarily positioned as a supplementary subject within the curriculum. To address these issues, the study proposes the following improvements: using gugak pieces that are more closely aligned with the curriculum themes, selecting songs that are developmentally appropriate for students, and including a more balanced range of gugak genres and compositions to broaden and deepen gugak education.

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