Through the prism of the two main paradigms of social justice--"distributive" and "relational"--and drawing on the concept of "discourse," this article examines how more socially just approaches might be embedded in the classroom music education of young people in the upper primary and lower secondary schools (9-13 years). In doing this, it also examines how the concept of social justice has been appropriated by some music education organisations--including El Sistema-influenced projects--as a form of legitimation. These approaches, I shall argue, often promote impoverished paradigms of social justice which restrict young people's agency and meaningful participation in music education.