A global approach to music across cultures – this book helps students listen to all music and understand its place in an interconnected world. Using a cross-cultural framework that balances coverage of traditional, classical, and popular styles of music from every region of the world and a three-part organization – Listening to Music, Transmitting Music, and Understanding Music – the book presents music as an ever-changing, geographically unrestrained form of human expression. Music fundamentals are presented from a global perspective. An Indian raga is used to introduce intervals, while rhythm and meter are illustrated by comparing a four-beat, straight-ahead rhyming Bahamian spiritual with Dave Brubeck's nine-beat Blue Rondo à la Turk. In-text listening guides feature "what to listen for" boxes highlighting essential features of each work, and concise headnotes with recording dates, performers, composers, forms, and functions. Interactive listening guides compatible with mobile devices allow students to focus on essential features as they listen online anytime, anywhere. Accessible text, streamlined design, and engaging pedagogy make learning easier than ever.

Students can access streaming music, a media-rich ebook, outstanding interactive listening guides for every work featured in the text, video excerpts in every chapter, and chapter and listening quizzes.