By taking a thematic approach to the study of music appreciation, Music: A Social Experience, Third Edition demonstrates how music reflects and deepens both individual and cultural understandings. Musical examples are presented within universally experienced social frameworks (ethnicity, gender, spirituality, love, and more) to help students understand how music reflects and advances human experience. Students engage with multiple genres (Western art music, popular music, and world music) through lively narratives and innovative activities. A companion website features streaming audio and instructors' resources.

The third edition includes:

The culmination of thirty years of experimentation in the music appreciation classroom, this third edition of Music: A Social Experience continues to empower lifelong musical learning by engaging students and readers on their own terms.