This book is a concise introduction to Indian music for middle-school readers. The text is very clearly written and highly informative. It includes chapters on Indian culture, styles of Indian music, Indian music theory (ragas and talas), Indian instruments, and Indian music history. Each topic is covered in one or two pages, followed by a short list of questions, and a musical activity or suggestion for further research. The book is filled with photographs and illustrations (all in black and white). There is a short list of further references at the back, and apparently an accompanying cassette can be purchased separately. The book is designed to be used for formal study; it could easily be used by interested homeschoolers or by any curious youngster.
Overall, I found the book quite engaging. However, I was a bit disappointed with the superficiality of the summary questions, which were little more than reading comprehension questions, requiring no synthesis or analysis. The musical activities were well done, but I was quite surprised to see that the Indian names of the notes, Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Da Ni, were never mentioned anywhere in the text, and this is a very serious omission in an introduction to Indian music. (On the other hand, the basic rhythmic syllables on the tabla are covered). Maps of India in the book consistently omit the easternmost states- -whoops. The section on music theory also covers only Northern classical music, and does not include any examples from other areas.
