Abstract
- Hip hop is the most popular music in the US and remains on the fringes of the music education profession as both under-integrated, researched, and utilized. The purpose of this project was to investigate the experiences and perceptions of undergraduate music students who facilitated a hip hop project with hip hop experts in a local youth arts organization located in the southeastern region of the US. As a qualitative investigation, analysis of these data revealed four themes associated with their experiences, which included (1) adaptability, (2) connection, (3) discomfort, and (4) impact. These data suggest direct influences on participant understandings related to hip hop and their careers as musicians, teachers, and students.