The musicological study of popular music is well established in higher education, and its practice is becoming more common in the post-compulsory sector. However, when this occurs, it is likely to be taught in more or less the same way as more established content areas like classical music or jazz, with teachers being in control of the process and the curriculum, responsible for feedback and assessment. Yet in the broader community popular music is usually learned as a self-directed activity, rarely under the direction of an expert mentor/teacher. Students who seek entry to popular music programs bring capacities developed in this informal way to their formal studies. This paper documents one program that breaks new ground in this respect, adapting its traditional pedagogy through the creation of a scaffolded self-directed learning environment within its bachelor of popular music program - a popular music pedagogy.