Korean music has achieved global popularity through genres such as K-pop, K-gagok (Korean art songs), and dongyo (children’s songs), yet these differ markedly from the traditional Korean music that audiences outside Korea might expect. Although influenced by Western melodic styles, these genres have evolved through Korean sentiment, emotion, and lived experience, articulating a distinct cultural identity. Initially introduced by Christian missionaries in the late 18th century, Western-style modern Korean music became infused with Joseon imperial ideology (Joseon Empire: the last absolute monarchy on the Korean peninsula). Soon after, Korea endured a traumatic and oppressive educational environment under Japan’s authoritarian colonial occupation. Although music remained part of the school curriculum, it was strictly regulated through top-down government ordinances that reinforced Japanese language, ideology, and identity, even prohibiting all Korean songs (Kim, 2013). Nonetheless, modern Korean music continued to flourish in people’s lives, preserving core values and cultural identity as an intentional act of resistance and resilience. Despite its historical, political, and cultural significance, the role of music and music education during these periods has been little researched, highlighting the need to examine why and how music has functioned in people’s lives, and how these practices have shaped contemporary music education.The purpose of this study is to examine the evolution of modern Korean songs in music education and their societal values, focusing on three distinct periods: (1) the modernization period (c. 1880s-1910), (2) the Japanese colonial occupation (1910-1945), and (3) the post-liberation period (after 1945). This study is grounded in Regelski’s social praxis (Regelski, 2016), which emphasizes the role of music and music education as socially symbolic practices that shape and are shaped by people’s lives. Using primary and secondary sources alongside contextual analysis, this study explores how Korean music evolved across those different periods. Next, I analyze the role of music, particularly “ChangGa: Korea’s first modern school songs”, and how it was integrated into cultural identity as a means of resistance and resilience (Vakeva et al., 2016). Finally, I examine how these historical musical practices continue to influence contemporary Korean music.By tracing these practices, this session highlights the lived experiences of Koreans during pivotal historical events, illustrating the enduring power of music and music education to build bridges across cultures and promote global solidarity, embodying the 2026 conference theme Unity in Music Education: Building Bridges for All and offering insights for the future of music education.