Form- the way music is organized and structured from beginning to end- guides composers, performers, and listeners in all musics. Here, the traditional Western sonata, the blueprints behind improvisational jazz, the narrative structure of traditional Japanese music, call-and-response forms in West African music and American gospel, and Irish fiddle tunes exemplify worldwide variations in musical form.

Music can inspire religious devotion, prepare individuals for war, motivate work, enrich play, and stimulate the passions. The musical healing ceremonies of the Kung people in Namibia and Botswana, Epirote music in traditional Greek weddings, and modern rock, gospel, and folk musics all reveal music's power to transform lives.

As a dynamic link to the past, music allows us to recall and revive our different cultural heritages through the performances we participate in now. West African griots, the Walbiri people of Australia, folksingers of Ireland and Appalachia, and modern practitioners of early music show us how our musical pasts live again today.

What do different cultures mean by music? This program explores the definition of music from the sine wave to poetic metaphor, and the impact of the cultural environment on music as different as Bosnian Ganga and becarac singing; Tuvan throat singing; Irish, West African, Trinidadian, and Japanese music; and Western chamber music, jazz, and rock.

When two or more notes sound together, harmony occurs. This interaction of pitches, understood in vastly different ways around the world, is analyzed here in jazz, chamber music, Bosnian ganga singing, early music plainchants, and barbershop quartets.

How are a composer and an improviser alike? How are they different? The marriage between fixed elements and new variation is examined in American rock, Indian raga, classical and contemporary Western music, jazz, and Arabic classical music.

This collection includes seven enriching, short documentary films created to support teachers, encourage parents, and promote community engagement in music education. Introducing music from the Renaissance through the 21st century, this invaluable series features rarely heard music from a broad range of performers, music styles, and ideas. The seven segments include an inspiring teacher performing with his students; an internationally known pianist’s...

Music Voyager travels into the heartland of Georgia to understand the culture, arts, and people who have helped create the "sound" of America. From Macon to Athens, the home of Georgia University, this creative corridor of Georgia has spawned the likes of Otis Redding, Little Richards, The B52s, REM, and others. Today, musicians such as Kishi Bashi, The Whigs, and Otis Redding III call the region home, and we feature performances and adventures with...

Miami is a city that everyone recognizes, but few truly know. The heartbeat of the city lies in the vibrant multi-cultural communities that call this city home. Explore the fiery sounds of Miami's electronic dance music scene, as well as its Latin and Haitian grooves with Afrobeta, The Spam All Stars, T-Vice, and Locos Por Juana. This is Miami like you have never seen, or heard, before.

The Music Voyager team travels to Pueblo, Colorado, to experience the ways in which this industrious city has promoted creative expressions to revitalize the community. Inaiah Lujan, the founder of the band, The Haunted Windchimes, and other local artists and musicians take us on a journey across Pueblo, a town blessed with perpetual sunshine, a proud and culturally diverse community, and ample amounts of Pueblo chili peppers. Along the way, we discover...