A fresh, balanced approach that transcends the exclusively classical music focus of most other music appreciation texts. Gateway to Music: An Introduction to American Vernacular, Western Art, and World Musical Traditions broadens standard notions of music appreciation with an introduction to local and global musical traditions, blended with social, cultural, and historical contexts. It is an ideal text for undergraduate music appreciation courses, a useful supplement for major and non-major courses in music history and world music, and an engaging source for any music lover. No musical background is necessary for this reader-friendly text. Unit One focuses on music in the United States including sacred and secular traditional music, music for the stage and screen, jazz, and popular music. Unit Two takes the reader through western art music chronologically from antiquity through the medieval, renaissance, baroque, classic, romantic, and modern musical eras. Unit Three explores music in the Americas, Oceania, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, India, and Japan. Gateway to Music features playlist options which give readers a choice of musical examples. With each genre description, students are invited to find musical examples online with search terms, observe musical and contextual elements, and ask compelling questions. Diverse, noteworthy musicians speak directly to students in full page portraits with primary source quotations. Illustrated musical elements and musical instruments appendices show students the basic vocabulary and tools of music at a glance.