Miscellaneous (But Fun!)

Music Education at Datadragon
This fun site is a great introduction to the study of music. In one section, you can find information on musical genres such as jazz, reggae, rock, Celtic, classical, country, and blues. Each genre is given a brief description, a list of signature musicians, and links to related sites. In another section, you can learn the basics of reading music. In still another section, you get a brief overview of different types of instruments, from woodwinds to brass to strings to percussion. Not only that—you can click on each featured instrument and actually hear what it sounds like. As an added bonus, the site tells about interesting stuff that has happened on any given day in music history.

The Instrument Encyclopedia
Hey, there's more to life than your run-of-the-mill guitar, flute, trumpet, and drum set. For instance, there's the zither, the duct flute, the flugel horn, and the talking drum. Not sure what these are? Then check out this interesting web site by Music Heritage Network. Sure, they have plenty of information about the instruments we all know and love. But they also have information on instruments that are less common or that come from other times and other cultures. You can search by general instrument type, such as percussion, string, wind, and electronic. You can also search by country of origin using a colorful map of the world. The site also features a music glossary.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
This site represents an important part of our history. No, it's not about elections, wars, and the passing of laws. It's about what’s been playing on our radios, record players, CD players, and iPods as the country has grown and changed over the years. Here at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame site you can search for information about influential artists, different styles of rock and roll, musical fashion, and what rock music says about us at any given time in history. You can also look up artists who have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This site is a good place to start if you are writing about or studying American popular culture.

The Classical Music Pages
So you have to write a paper about the Baroque period of classical music, a female composer, or the history of opera? This site is a good place to start your research. Just a few clicks gets you information on classical music and composers. Subjects are arranged in the following ways: by musical epoch, or period; by musical form; or by composer's names. The site also provides a brief history of Western music and a look at the musical concepts of melody, harmony, and rhythm.

Early Music by Women Composers
Music history isn't only about all those famous European men—the Mozarts and the Beethovens of the world. This Web site focuses exclusively on the role of women in music through the years. It features an interesting tour of women's early music history, a chronology, a list of specific musical works, descriptions of musical instruments, and stories of how women have connected music with other art forms.

WWW Music Database
Sometimes you just need to find that perfect song—the one that will liven up your presentation, speech, or dramatic reading; the one that demonstrates a particular culture or style of music; the one that reminds you of a person, place, or time in your life. This handy database allows you to search for music in a number of different ways. You can search by album title, artist, song title, musical style, language, or country of origin.

What Is Jazz?
This site provides an excellent overview of Jazz—the style referred to as "America's classical music." The site's text comes from a four-part lecture series by noted jazz pianist and historian Dr. Billy Taylor. His lectures cover the roots of Jazz, in African-American slavery, through ragtime, swing, bop, and progressive jazz. With just a click you can also learn what Taylor has to say about specific artists and styles.

Ludwig van Beethoven: The Magnificent Master
Just who was that famous German composer Beethoven? Well, he was the greatest composer of his day, and he produced some of the best-known classical pieces in the world. Not only that, he built his reputation as composer and musician even as he slowly lost his hearing over the course of his life. Check out this site for information about his life and work, to listen to examples of his music, and to find out what folks are still saying about Beethoven's contributions to the world of music.

The Mozart Project
Mozart is widely considered one of the greatest composers in history. The Mozart Project presents the most important events in Mozart's life in a time line that also shows world events that took place at the same time. You'll also find a catalog of Mozart's life work, cross-referenced chronologically as well as by category. The site does not only list compositions, but offers detailed insights into each work. And, you can also listen to clips of his music.

Music at Kids.gov
This site is geared toward kids in grades K–5 who love music. Follow links to a sing-along and movies, and join Grover from Sesame Street as he explores music from around the world. Watch professional musicians talk about what it’s like to have career in music and learn more about the instruments they play in the New York Philharmonic’s instrument lab. Web surfers in grades 6–8 can click here to explore different aspects of music geared toward older students.