Musicians

Marian Anderson Web Site
http://www.library.upenn.edu/special/gallery/anderson/index.html
Meet the amazing African American contralto Marian Anderson. Hear Anderson talk about her career, and check out some of her recordings. Listen to "My Country 'Tis of Thee" from her famous April 1939 Lincoln Memorial concert. What were Anderson's feelings about this concert?

John W. Coltrane Cultural Society
http://jazz.route66.net/aLoveSupreme/CulturalSociety/
Find out more about jazz innovator John William Coltrane. What did he feel was the purpose of his music? How have his memory and music been kept alive?

Denyce Graves Home Page
http://www.denycegraves.com/
Meet mezzo soprano Denyce Graves, who has sung everywhere from the Metropolitan Opera to Sesame Street. Download and play songs from some of her recordings. You'll even learn more about her "operadog" Madison.

The Unofficial Billie Holiday Web Site
http://users.bart.nl/~ecduzit/billie.html
What was it about Billie Holiday's style that made her the most famous jazz singer of all time? What was her nickname, and who gave it to her? Hear some of Holiday's wonderful recordings on MIDI while you answer these and other questions about her life.

Angelique Kidjo Home Page
http://wwwusers.imaginet.fr/~kidjo/
"Music is the only thing that can bring us together." So says West African recording artist Angelique Kidjo, whose music is truly "world music." Hear a sound clip from her latest album, which includes performances of famous musicians from around the world, including Branford Marsalis. Why did Kidjo relocate from her homeland, Benin, West Africa, to Paris? Find out here!

Piano Jazz Home Page: McPartland
http://www.scern.org/pj/
Check out a popular radio show hosted by a female jazz artist—Marian McPartland. While you are there, look for the pages on McPartland's career and current concert schedule.

Lycos Community Guide: Midori
http://www.jsonline.com/letsgo/performingarts/0212midori.html
Read an article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal about the life and career of violin prodigy Midori. How would the life of a prodigy like Midori be different from that of an ordinary teen?

Jelly Roll Morton HomePage
http://www.duke.edu/~nbp
What was Jelly Roll Morton's real name? Find out this and more about the composer/pianist whose style marked the beginnings of jazz.

Niccolo Paganini
http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/2499/Paganini.html
Great site on the life and career of violin virtuoso Niccolo Paganini, who had to publish letters from his mother to convince some people that he was really human. What childhood disease almost caused Paganini to be mistaken for dead? Find out here.

Pete Seeger
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/JimCapaldi/
"Music has been used throughout human times in many ways, sometimes to support the status quo, sometimes to disturb the status quo." So says Pete Seeger, who has sung both kinds of folksongs in his long, illustrious career. Read articles about, interviews with, and quotes from Seeger here. Do you think music is still used as a way to make changes in society? If so, how?

Classical Guitar Net: Andrés Segovia HomePage
http://www.classicalguitar.net/artists/segovia/
Check out the amazing classical guitarist Andrés Segovia. What goals did he have for himself and for the guitar? Did he achieve these goals?

Instruments

The MHN Instrument Encyclopedia
http://www.si.umich.edu/CHICO/MHN/IE_ref.html
Check out this site for a list of links about musical instruments. Choose an unusual instrument—the didgeridoo, maybe, or the alphorn or theramin—and find out more about it.

Native American Flute Gallery
http://www.starseedcreations.com/Linked Pages/gallery.html
See two different styles of beautifully crafted Native American flutes. How do the flutes differ from each other? How do they differ from the flutes you see in your school band?

Harpsichord Information Center
http://www.geocities.com/hothpschd/temporarypreviewfile.html
A great site about the harpsichord. It has sound clips of harpsichord music, information about the Baroque era, and information about composers who wrote for harpsichord. Find out how sound is produced on a harpsichord, and how it differs from a piano.

Piano on the Net
http://www.artdsm.com/music.html
Learn to play piano for free, on the Internet! While it won't replace a good teacher, this site can help you participate in piano activities.

The String Pedagogy Notebook
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mhopkins/string.html
This site has everything a string player (or aspiring string player!) needs to know about caring for and performing with a stringed instrument. It includes photographs that show you how to hold a bow and video clips of proper technique.

Encyclopedia Smithsonian: The Smithsonian from A-Z
http://www.si.edu/resource/faq/nmah/music.html
Find everything you ever wanted to know to know about the United States national museum right here online. Be sure to check out the section on musical instruments!

Choral

Guidelines for Singers: Dos and Don'ts
http://www.upmc.edu/upmcvoice/dos.html
Review the tips provided here. Then team up with other members of your choir to make posters or checklists of healthy singing habits for other choir members. With the help of your choir director, you might share this information with elementary choirs in your community.

The Sight-Singers Resource Center
http://www.4link.net/~mrubinn/sightsinger/#moveable
Practice and improve your sight-singing skills at this site. You'll also have the opportunity to review the different methods of learning to sight-sing as well as definitions of terms and concepts.

Survival Tips for Choral Singers
http://www.bgsm.edu/voice/choral_singer.html
Brush up on the techniques you need to keep your voice strong and healthy. Read through the information provided here, then demonstrate correct singing posture for your class.

Opera/Musical Theatre

The Metropolitan Opera
http://www.metopera.org/metopera.html
Find out all about New York City's Metropolitan Opera—its history, as well as what's happening this season. Take the Met Quiz, and compare your opera knowledge with that of other students.

"Something's Coming"—American Treasures of the Library of Congress
http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/tri012.html
How did composer Leonard Bernstein get his idea for the song "Something's Coming" from West Side Story? Find out here. Also, see Bernstein's own piano/vocal score to the song. Does it look like you imagined it?

STOMP Online
http://www.stomponline.com/
The official homepage of the show STOMP. Check out video clips from the show and see the list of "instruments" used in the show, which include brooms, sink plugs, and fifty-gallon oil drums. Click on "percussion for kids," then on "older students" to find out how some musical instruments are made. While you are there, you might try making one yourself.

Porgy and Bess: An American Voice
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~polot/porgy/
Why has Porgy and Bess had a controversial history? Where did author DuBose Heyward get his idea for the story? Click on "For More Information" to find out.

Great Performances: Porgy and Bess
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/porgy/
See video clips of interviews with singer William Warfield (the original Porgy), Todd Duncan, and a well-known "mystery person" who may surprise you. How did Gershwin do research for the music of Porgy and Bess?

The Musical Challenge
http://www.best.com/~gregwong/music/broadway_quiz.shtml
Test your knowledge of musical theatre song by taking the Musical Challenge at this site. Then compare your correct responses to others in your class. Which selection is your favorite?

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
http://www.shubert.com/rogerham.html
Rodgers and Hammerstein began their musical careers at the Connecticut Shubert Theater in New Haven. At the theater's Web site, explore a time line of the duo's productions and see photos from the original 1945 presentation of Carousel.

"TEXAS"
http://www.texasmusicaldrama.com/
Check out the outdoor musical that attracts thousands of visitors to Canyon, Texas, each summer. What story does it tell?

Performing Arts

Argentine Tango Dancing
http://home.att.net/~larrydla/basics_0.html
Learn to tango in seven easy lessons. Print out the instructions and choose a partner!

Musicians and Injuries
http://www.engr.unl.edu/ee/eeshop/music.html
Mostly for instrumentalists, this site shows you how to keep yourself in top performing condition. At this site, learn how to stretch before practice and how to pay attention to aches and pains. Find out about preventive measures that will help avoid injuries associated with playing an instrument.

Ashokan Farewell
http://www.jayandmolly.com/ashokanfarewell.html
Hear the tune made famous in the PBS television series The Civil War. How was composer Jay Unger inspired to write this haunting melody?

VH1 Save the Music
http://vh1.com/insidevh1/savethemus/
Run, don't walk, over to VH1's "Save the Music" Web site—VH1's program to support music education in the schools. You will find ideas for what you can do to help the music program in your school. While you are there, take their music quiz and compare your answers with those of other students.

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