Although the teaching and learning of popular music in formal educational institutions remains a controversial issue in the United States and abroad, historical research studies on the development of popular music education have been scarce. This study examines the introduction of popular music education into the American public junior college music curriculum beginning in the Great Depression and concluding with the rise of rock and roll in 1955, a popular music style that demanded a different pedagogical paradigm. Historical case studies were conducted on three public junior colleges in the Los Angeles metropolitan area (Long Beach Junior College, Los Angeles Junior College, and Pasadena Junior College) that were instrumental in introducing American popular music into the junior college curriculum during the 1930s, at a time when the traditional college music curriculum was devoted exclusively to the Western European art music canon. In each case study, the sociocultural context of the junior college's home city, the mission of the junior college, the composition of the music faculty and the music curriculum, and the role of popular music in the curriculum were investigated. Factors that contributed to curricular innovation are summarized, including the cultural milieu of New Deal-era Los Angeles, the national expansion of the public junior college movement, and the focus on vocational education in California between World War I and World War II. The rationale for these curricular innovations centered on the need for a more relevant curriculum that prepared students for greater career opportunities and more accurately reflected the musical preferences and practices of the local community. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]