Abstract
This project investigates the musical traditions of the Creole and Cajun cultures of Southwest Louisiana and presents an elementary music curricular unit designed to explore these cultures’ musical traditions, Cajun music and Creole music—often called zydeco. The review of literature gives historical context on the Cajun and Creole cultural identities and their musical traditions. The curriculum design component offers a vision for the use of Cajun music and zydeco in an Orff-style elementary music classroom. The curriculum design section opens with an overview of the Orff Schulwerk pedagogical philosophy, followed by learning objectives and lesson plans. The author concludes that Cajun music and zydeco are rich traditions that provide ample opportunities for engaging with musical concepts in the elementary classroom.