First, a general overview of the German institutional music teaching system is given, and pedagogical history and recent developments are described. After that the special situation and needs of higher education are illustrated. The article proposes alternating phases of analysis and re-production of popular music as a reasonable way to introduce new students to their first year of studies. Using the hermeneutical helix as one basic idea, and the idea of style copies as a second, it can be shown that this works quite well. Students trained within such a framework are highly motivated, use both informal and formal learning strategies, and reflect on the processes, their groups, and their personal development. The argument is supported by data derived from a five-year study of written material.