By Monica Rodriguez for The Eastsider
Originally published on Jan. 27, 2026
At Belvedere Middle School, there is more to K-pop than cool videos and infectious tunes.
This academic year, the school launched a class that uses K-pop — the popular music genre with its origins in South Korea — as an entry point to explore the country’s history and culture.
Belvedere is one of a handful of LAUSD campuses to offer the class, Principal Elsa Mendoza said. She learned about the curriculum during a district professional development session and thought it could be a way to connect with students.
“Since students are interested, let’s offer a class that will engage them, that will entertain them, and that will be a bright spot in their day,” Mendoza said.
The school was a good match, in part because many students are already fans of the genre and participate in the school’s K-pop lunch club.
The class is offered as part of the visual and performing arts program and is taught by Angel Martinez.
During a recent lesson on naturalism in K-pop, Martinez explained that as the genre has evolved, so have artists’ looks and styles. While early generations often wore brightly colored hair, today’s performers have adopted more natural hair colors and styling. Martinez played a video and asked students to identify two natural elements the performers incorporated into their look and research when the group released the song.
Seventh grader Jayden Garcia, 13, of East L.A., said he would recommend the class to other students, especially those who enjoy K-pop.
“You learn about the music, and you learn how it got started,” he said.
Outside of class, Garcia participates in the K-pop club, where members spend time with friends and learn choreography from the latest videos.
Counselor Jorge Chia, the club’s advisor, said the membership consists mostly of girls, but it appeals to boys as well.
“The music is very catchy, and it makes you want to dance,” he said.
Mendoza said the school may eventually take an interdisciplinary approach to K-pop and add a Korean literature component through an English Language Arts class or a Korean language program. It all depends on how well students accept the class.
“We are all learning from each other,” she said. “It’s the kids teaching us as we teach the kids.”
