When a handful of composers and musicians staged a week-long festival in New York in 1979, they had little idea how large an audience "new music" would attract. Thousands of people stood in line for hours for a chance to crowd into performances, and for eleven years, New Music American traveled the United States, settling in a different city each year. Featured in the video, shot in Houston, Texas, in 1986, are members of an internationally recognized music community including Pauline Oliveros, John Cage, Stuart Dempster, R.I.P. Hayman, Pat Oleszko, and Stellarc. What is new music? The difference between traditional (western) music and new music is the element of invention and innovation, and the vision and craft with which the composer/performer integrated sound with other influences. Music and the elements of music may take on a variety of forms and may also incorporate visual art, theatre, or even environment as parts of the work.