Alfred's Essentials of Music Theory introduces all the basic concepts of music through concise lessons, followed by short exercises for immediate reinforcement. The interactive software includes narration, animated examples, and clickable elements for aural reinforcement during the presentation of lesson material. Exercise screens display an identifying bar, goals are set for each exercise, and points are awarded for each correct answer. Drills can be practiced repeatedly to build solid understanding of concepts. Questions are randomized to provide reinforcement of material without duplicating the program's sequence. Each series of lessons and exercises is followed by a section of ear training. Examples are performed with real, not synthesized, instruments, and students have the opportunity to play the exercise several times to thoroughly understand what they are hearing.