Many music educators feel unprepared or are unsure of how to use popular music in their classrooms. This article details the author's experience designing, implementing, and revising a student-centered guitar curriculum in an urban middle school. Reflecting on this experience, the author defends the place of popular music and informal pedagogy in the classroom, highlighting the opportunities they provide for authentic and meaningful musical learning for all students while retaining more traditional approaches that music educators continue to find effective modes of instruction.