Music Web Links

Unit Three
Music!... To Let Us Perform

Chapter 5 From the Performer's Perspective

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?

Chapter 6 From the Audience's Perspective

The MHN Instrument Encyclopedia
http://www.si.umich.edu/chico/instrument.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.

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?

Chapter 7 Virtuoso Performers

Composers: Franz Lizst
http://www.futurenet.com/classicalnet/reference/composers/liszt.html
Learn more about Franz Lizst and his career. Also, hear some of his most famous pieces. What would life have been like for a nineteenth century "superstar"?

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.

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?

Chapter 8 Alone and Together

Native American Flute Gallery
http://www.starseedcreations.com/Linked%20Pages/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?

The Internet Renaissance Band
http://www.csupomona.edu/~jcclark/emusic/
What were people listening to a millenium or so ago? Hear MIDI files of many varieties of early music. See if you can find a listening example of each of these musical textures—monophonic, homophonic, and polyphonic.

Unit Three Encore! Musical Artistry in High Schools

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 your information with elementary choirs in your community.

Musicians and Injuries
http://www.engr.unl.edu/ee/eeshop/music.html
Keep yourself in top performing condition. At this site, learn how to stretch yourself before practice and how to pay attention to the aches and pains you feel. Find out what preventative measures you should take to avoid injuries associated with your instrument.

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.

The String Pedagogy Notebook
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mhopkins/string.html
If you are a string player, this site has everything you need to know about caring for and performing with your instrument. The site includes photographs that show you how to hold a bow, even video clips of proper technique.