Crossroads: Popular Music in America

by Elizabeth F. Barkley and Barkley

Book Overview

Primarily for courses in American music, popular music, or rock music; and also appropriate for courses in ethnic studies. Through a blended historical, ethnic, and musical approach, with a strong... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0130971464
• ISBN13: 9780130971463
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Prentice Hall
• Length: 287 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 8.5" x 10.9"

Customer Reviews

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The sender of my new book was very nice;he quickly sent me the book and CD. I would recomend him.If next semester I need books and he has them I'll buy from him. Thank you.

Highly recommended!

This lively and accessible book explores the musical traditions of five broad groups - Native Americans, European Americans, African Americans, Latino Americans, and Asian Americans - with particular interest in how those multicultural roots have intermingled to create contemporary American music. Along the way, author Elizabeth Barkley achieves a near impossible feat: presenting concise and candid histories of each cultural group, in addition to equally concise and clear explanations of the stylistic elements of their music. These elements are reinforced by the companion CD, which provides 18 listening examples with commentary. My only criticism is that the book suffers from inattentive editing. For example, the first citation in Chapter One is "Ibid." Several photo captions apparently include layout notations not intended for readers' eyes, sometimes to a mildly humorous effect. The content deserves better. Though designed for college students with no prior musical training, this book will be invaluable to high school and college music teachers wanting to infuse more diversity into their coursework, or for social studies teachers wanting to infuse more popular culture. I would also recommend it to those specifically interested in African American music since - not surprisingly - about half the chapters touch on it in one way or another. Highly recommended!