Article Contributed by Propeller Publicity
Published on December 11, 2025
Readers and reviewers are discovering the rewards of active listening in Craig Havighurst’s new memoir/manifesto Musicality For Modern Humans: How To Listen Like An Artist out now from independent press The Sager Group.
Leading literary trade publication Kirkus Reviews writes: “As a music-theory primer, listening guide, and personal narrative, this book succeeds, thanks to its warmth, depth of research, and clarity. Havighurst explains such concepts as timbre…, dissonance, and rhythm with lucidity, and his autobiographical moments lend the book the feeling of sitting beside a knowledgeable teacher, surrounded by instruments. The result is an inviting, humane work that could recalibrate how readers hear the world.”
Following Havighurst’s recent appearance on the UK’s Bluegrass Jam Along podcast, host Matt Hutchinson writes, “’Musicality for Modern Humans’ reminds us of the importance of musical literacy and the value of diverse musical experiences but, more than anything, of the fact that listening deeply to music brings huge rewards.”
Author Cary Baker (Down On The Corner: Adventures In Busking & Street Music) writes: “’Musicality for Modern Humans’ blends research, real-world examples, and personal observation to show that ‘listening like an artist’ isn’t an elite skill but an attainable, rewarding practice. It’s the rare book that can recalibrate your ears and refresh your relationship with music.”
Since breaking out in the Arts & Leisure section of the Wall Street Journal in the late 1990s, Havighurst has been one of the leading voices covering American roots music, including bluegrass, folk, and Americana. Meanwhile, he’s cultivated a lifelong interest in jazz and composed music, with the resources of a reporter and access to extraordinary musical settings and situations. With Musicality, decades of conversations with musicians and producers have been distilled into a personal memoir, a thoughtfully written rumination, and a practical guide to a lifelong engagement with music.
Musicality is about how composers and musicians manipulate tone, time, and timbre to reach us emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. It’s also about how we respond and how alert we are to creativity and nuance. Havighurst resets our expectations, simplifies music theory, champions today’s finest artists, and guides readers in a rethink of their musical diet.
The book is on sale now in ebook, hardback and paperback.
An audio book, read by the author, is forthcoming.
Craig is available for speaking engagements and interviews.
Keep up with Craig Havighurst
Title Information
ISBN: 978-1-958861-83-7 (paperback) $20.99
ISBN: 978-1-958861-82-0 (eBook) $9.99
ISBN: 978-1-958861-84-4 (hardcover) $33.68
DISTRIBUTION: Amazon, Ingram Spark, all eBook Platforms
PUBLISHER: The Sager Group LLC
PUBLISHER WEBSITE: www.TheSagerGroup.net
NUMBER OF PAGES: 284
