ABSTRACT
We can all agree that music is a part of most human cultures; we cannot always agree on its purpose. We know that it exists, but not why and how. The national standards in music education state that students need to have an understanding of music in relation to history and culture. This implies that culture refers to both macrocultures and microcultures existing within macrocultures. Although the great majority of music presented in this book is primarily of a European classical music tradition, many equally important musical cultures and traditions need to be considered and investigated in the classroom.
