Under the background of the continuous advancement of educational reform, core literacy has become an important orientation in primary and secondary school education. As an important component of quality-oriented education, the reconstruction of music education’s curriculum content and the exploration of practical paths are of great significance. This article focuses on music education in primary and secondary schools under the guidance of core literacy. Firstly, it analyzes the requirements of core literacy for music education, and then discusses the problems existing in the current music education curriculum content in primary and secondary schools, such as outdated content and lack of systematicness. On this basis, strategies for reconstructing the course content were proposed, including integrating diverse music cultures and combining contemporary elements, etc. It expounds the practical paths, such as carrying out music club activities and making use of modern information technology. Through these studies, the aim is to provide useful references for improving the quality of music education in primary and secondary schools and cultivating students’ core music literacy.