This small book outlines the proper sequencing of music skills—the foundation of music learning. Edwin E. Gordon, a world-renowned music education author and researcher, describes in depth the five main music skills: listening, performance, audiation and improvisation, reading, and writing.

As emphasized in the book, simply listening to a wide range of music types and styles—the first skill—is of compelling importance. Introducing this skill during early childhood is critical because children learn more in the first eighteen months of life than in any other similar time frame throughout life.

In addition, when audiation and improvisation are introduced in a music curriculum before serious study of music notation, learning to read and write are relatively easy.

Unfortunately, Dr. Gordon writes, the skills of listening and audiation and improvisation are often not only disregarded,  but they are regarded haphazardly or presented out of order. When music skills are taught out of sequence, they tend to limit the attainment of one another, he states.

Structuring Comprehensive and Unified Sequential Music Curriculums: A Concise Overview is a concise and compelling overview of the proper sequencing of these skills, which applies to both vocal and instrumental instruction. This book is an important resource for anyone involved in music instruction and curriculum development.

Edwin E. Gordon is known throughout the world as a preeminent researcher, teacher, author, editor, and lecturer in the field of music education. He is currently Research Professor at the Thomas Cooper Library of the University of South Carolina