World Music For Beginners

2011 was a great year for world music. With monster releases from world music mainstays and some excellent breakthroughs from lesser-known artists, it was a great year to be a listener, that's for sure. Read on for my favorite world music CDs from 2011.

Get started and learn the basics of world music! World music encompasses many genres and styles of music, from traditional to modern, folk to pop. Learn about the common threads between genres of world music and find ideas for getting your world music collection started.

How would you define "world music?" What does that phrase, as a genre name, encompass in your mind?

World music tends to be surprisingly accessible for children (they're often more open-minded than adults!) but lots of phenomenal albums have been released specifically for kids, and several world music record labels (such as Putumayo) have specific children's music imprints. So what are your family's favorite world music albums? Share, and help some other families avoid the dreaded che…

In this hectic world, relaxation can be hard to find. If you need some music to help you relax or to help you center your body and mind while meditating, these ten great CDs from many different cultures should help you do just that!

Critical music listening skills are essential for world music fans of any age. Help your children (or your students) learn how to think about music and how to "feel the music" with these tips.

Music Voyager is a world music and travel television show making its debut on PBS stations across the US in February 2010. Hosted by Putumayo World Music and Cumbancha Records exec Jacob Edgar, Music Voyager takes viewers to far-flung locations to hear many genres of world music in a home-turf context.

For many of us, music is essential to a great yoga practice -- it helps us focus, provides motivation, and generally makes the whole thing more enjoyable. Unfortunately, much of the yoga music on the market is cheesy and barely-listenable. What's a music snob to do? Look no further -- these great modern yoga CDs will soundtrack any flow nicely.

Live music is always unique and special, but sometimes there are particularly thrilling concerts that stand out above all the others. Many factors align to make those moments truly special: the location, the timing, the company of friends and family or complete strangers who you're with, and naturally, the artists themselves. Of course, there's also that X factor; that special something that ju…

World Music is often dismissed as simply not cool enough, fun enough, or glamorous enough for average people to listen to. We world music listeners, however, know better than that! Let's bust some of these world music myths!

It should be no surprise that Mothers are one of the most popular subjects for songwriters around the world. From folk songs to modern songs, here's a playlist about Moms, by artists from around the world.

World music fans often find themselves in a bit of a jam when they're planning the music for their wedding - they want to express their unique taste in music, but also want to keep the music sweet and romantic. These ten songs will surely add a touch of romance, as well as some fabulous global flavor, to your wedding.

Tired of the same old children's music albums? Check out some of these unique world music albums that are either made for children or are appropriate for children. Expose your kids to new cultures with world music!

World Music fans are all hippies. World Music isn't sexy. World Music is weird and hard to listen to. World Music is all in foreign languages. Sound familiar? Time to debunk world music myths!

In the months preceding the 2008 U.S. Presidential Elections, Barack Obama has become something of a phenomenon in the international community. From Jamaica to Africa, as well as throughout the United States, songs about Barack Obama have been emerging. These are s…

World music fans have, in my completely unscientific estimation, larger record and CD collections than anyone other than jazz aficionados (or even worse - fans of world music and jazz), and because the average world music fan has extremely broad taste, those records can be extremely difficult to organize. Additionally, most world music fans that I know absolutely refuse to get rid of thei…

World Beat is a name given to genre-bending world music by corporate executives.

Where should one begin looking when starting to delve into the mighty genre that is world music?

It can be hard to tell what the differences are between World Music, Folk Music, Latin Music, Jazz and Blues.

What exactly does the phrase "world music" mean?

Putumayo World Music is known for producing gorgeous Christmas albums (among other outstanding compilations). Need help deciding which one to pick up for your stocking this year? Here's a guide!

2008 was a great year for world music, with a lot of amazing CDs coming from countries who are always top producers (Mali, France, India, etc.), and some great representation from countries we don't hear nearly enough of (Haiti and Belize, for example). It also happened to be an especially good year for the ladies, with powerful female-led...

Are you going to snap if you have to hear "Jingle Bell Rock" one more time? Yeah, me too. Luckily, there are dozens of fabulous world music artists who have released Christmas albums that are completely different from any of the standard fare.

We all have a few people in our lives who qualify as impossible to shop for. They either have everything, have insanely picky taste, or are just generally enigmatic. Some of these world music gifts might do the trick for them, though. CD recommendations, book recommendations and more for the hard to shop for people in your life.

Instead of giving the same old gifts you always give, try these world music gift alternatives. Give CDs instead of candles, better magazine subscriptions, and more.

Our readers share their opinions on the best world music CDs for relaxation and meditation. Jump in and share your thoughts!