Create a meaningful, accessible, and joyful middle school music program that will motivate students to enthusiastically engage using practical strategies and lessons. A welcome guide for navigating the exciting landscape of middle school general music, this book offers strategies and lessons that have been created in the real world of general music. Written by a veteran educator with decades of experience, it focuses on active and joyful engagement with music through composing, improvising, singing, playing instruments, listening, and making authentic connections. This 3rd edition includes new and updated content: - A framework for making instructional decisions based on the pedagogical principles of safety, voice, access, and rigor - Strategies for developing instructional units with templates and examples from the author’s practice - A love letter and survival guide for new teachers - Important revisions for today’s post-pandemic classrooms and compatibility with national and state standards Each section is full of tips and lessons to support middle schoolers in developing a life-long love of music. From instructional units to composition projects, rhythm games to listening lessons, there are plenty of strategies that are rigorous and easily adaptable to a range of contexts. Unit planning templates and an appendix of suggested resources empower teachers to design their own ways to invite middle-level students into the world of music. Additional materials include a compelling argument for the importance of middle school general music that can strengthen advocacy efforts, a framework for making pedagogically-sound instructional decisions, and tips to help leverage the developmental tendencies of young adolescents in creating a vibrant classroom culture.