Twelve lessons systematically introduce new notational ideas of increasing complexity which are reinforced via a series of reading and listening exercises. By the time the reader completes the course he or she should be equipped with enough knowledge to sight-read some reasonably complex pieces of music. To aid motivation, the course is geared so that noticeable, even dramatic, progress is made in the first few lessons. The CD mirrors the contents of the book, allowing each exercise to be heard, and the reader to check immediately if they have understood the lesson being taught. Easy-to-follow icons appear alongside each exercise indicating which track on the CD to play. A Dictionary of Terms and Notation provides an at-a-glance music summation of technical terminology.