This study is aimed to investigate pre-service elementary teachers’ perceptions of using applied music(popular music). These days, applied music has strongly influenced over all of the society including economy, popular culture, education. For this study, 174 pre-service elementary teachers were participated and the questionnaire was used. The questionnaire was composed in three parts: music preference of participants, using applied music and achievement standards of the music
curriculum, personal opinions regarding the study topic.
The first result showed, most of the pre-service elementary teachers preferred applied music. About 89% of participants liked applied music to listen, sing, and play. Second, the participants answered that applied music would be useful to reach following three achievement standards of music curriculum: ‘participate events of home, school, and community’, ‘present feeling after listening to music expressed situation or story’, ‘express scene of story or situation using music.’ Lastly, pre-service elementary teachers thought that applied music was useful to get interest of students, but
they thought that applied music was not appropriate to use in school music class for several reasons.