In thirteen easily digestible chapters, this helpful resource highlights the most useful and practical music theory topics that educators, conductors, composers, and performers actually encounter in their everyday musical careers. Using music examples from a variety of styles and time periods - everything from Bach and Mozart to Stevie Wonder and Taylor Swift - this book brings a fresh perspective to the traditional music theory curriculum and expands into related topics relevant to today's musicians, including lead sheets and chord symbols, basic jazz harmony, chord progressions, reharmonization, and advice for composers and arrangers. With its conversational tone and clear explanations, this book is the perfect supplement to an undergraduate music theory course and is a must-have reference for middle and high school music teachers, church music directors, composers and arrangers, conductors, and even gig musicians.