When teachers provide a well-balanced representation of multicultural music, students become more receptive to and appreciative of diverse musical traditions, expanding their musical palette. However, teachers often face challenges when certain musical traditions are underrepresented, readily available resources are scarce, and concerns for losing authenticity arise. Therefore, with the intent to address challenges and offer a practical application, this workshop presents a play-based approach as an effective and culturally responsive method for integrating Korean folk traditions into the general music classroom. The play-based approach for teaching Korean folk traditions draws on foundational theories of play and child development (Marsh & Young, 2006; Parten, 1933; Piaget, 1962; Smilansky, 1968) and is grounded in several premises. First, play serves as a central pedagogical strategy in elementary music education, enhancing student engagement and participation. Second, Korean folk traditions encompass musical elements such as singing, chanting, movement, and storytelling, making them well-suited to play-based learning. Third, the shared form of play—such as tug-of-war, circle games, and hand-clapping games—offers cross-cultural connections that enable students to engage with unfamiliar musical traditions in meaningful and respectful ways (Campbell, 2018). In this workshop, participants will explore two Korean folk traditions: Ganggangsullae, a communal circle dance traditionally performed during harvest season to promote unity and celebration, and Minyo (folk song) passed down through oral tradition, which is deeply intertwined with everyday life, ritual, labor, and play. Using the “acculturation, imitation, assimilation process” (Gordon, 2013; Valerio et al., 1998) as a framework situated within a multicultural music learning context, participants will experience how these traditions can be meaningfully adapted for the general music classroom.