Events for $20 or Less Monday

FOCUS! 2010 – Composing an American Mainstream at Juilliard
Juilliard’s mid-winter festival of contemporary music, created in 1945 by School President William Schuman (re-named in 1985), comes full-circle with this year’s spotlight on American composers, including works by Schuman himself, and an all-Schuman addendum in April with the Juilliard Orchestra led by Leonard Slatkin. At the Peter Jay Sharp Theater, 155 West 65th Street. 8 p.m. FREE (limited tickets available)

Jimmy Heath: I Walked with Giants Reading
Jazz legend Heath recounts his career as a renowned saxophonist. From Dizzy Gillespie to Miles Davis, Heath has a story to tell. He struggled with drugs, Jim Crow, shady dealings and much more. You won’t want to miss this journey through American music. At Lincoln Square Barnes and Noble. 7:30 p.m. FREE.

It’s Not You, It’s Me Poetry Reading
The romantic breakup defies labels of male or female, gay or straight. And poets Jerry Williams, Peter Covino and Patricia Smith express that heartbreaking diversity in this edgy honest volume, “It’s Not You, It’s Me”. At 82nd Street Barnes and Noble. 7 p.m. FREE.