Music is so important to our lives that it is said to make “the world go round.” Today it is easier than ever to learn about music and to listen to music nearly anywhere because of the information and other resources provided on the Internet. Knowing where to find the best music-related sites is key to enjoying music online, so here is a handy list designed to help you find information on music and hear your favorite artists and songs over the Internet.
Music History
• Center for Black Music Research — resource with information about music from people of African descent all over the world
• Essentials of Music — Sony Music overview site on music and music history
• Oral History of American Music — homepage about Yale University collection on American music, with excerpts from the collection
• Hyper Music — extensive information on the history of classical music, jazz, musical instruments, and more
• Western Composers and Their Music — a history of Western composers and their compositions from the Middle Ages to today
Music Genres
• Broadway: The American Musical — PBS page about the history, influence, and popularity of Broadway musicals
• Bluegrass Guitar — site that is about the Bluegrass guitar and other elements of Bluegrass music
• Blues Links — links to pages on the Blues genre all over the Internet
• Classical.net — all kinds of resources related to classical music
• Cleveland History: Rock 'N Roll — all about the early history of Rock and Roll
• Ethnomusicology — links to various sites about folk music worldwide
• Experience Music Project — a great site of a museum devoted to pop or popular music
• Hip-Hop Archive — a good source on Hip-Hop music and its current popularity and influence
• Reggae Train — a comprehensive Reggae music portal
• Sacred Music — the official journal of the Church Music Association of America
• Smithsonian Jazz — page on jazz from the Smithsonian Museum
• Time: Country Music — extensive information on Country Music and its history from Time magazine
Music Theory
• American Sheet Music: 1870–1885 — collection of sheet music copyrighted between 1870 and 1885 in the United States
• Beginner's Guide to Composing — Bloomingdale School of Music page on how to compose music at the beginning level
• Mathematics and Music — this page shows how music and math are interrelated
• Music Theory.net — contains many lessons about the elements of music
• Music Theory Online — an online journal of music theory
• Thinkquest: Music Theory — a basic introduction to reading music and understanding musical terms
Music Education and Careers
• American Music Therapy Association — homepage of an association dedicated to using music to help and heal others
• Careers in Music — listing of possible music careers from the Berklee College of Music
• National Association of Schools of Music — find accredited music programs in the United States here
Orchestras, Bands, Instruments, and Artists
• 123 Musicians — tons of information on many of today’s top musicians
• Brief Guide to the Pipe Organ — an overview and introduction to how the pipe organ operates
• Drum Corps International — homepage for the prestigious marching band organization
• The Brass Family — all about tubas, trumpets, trombones, and more
• The Orchestra: An Overview — learners can find out all about orchestras on this site
• Percussion Instruments — here readers can learn about drums, xylophones, and other percussion instruments
• Piano.org — links to all kinds of piano-related information online
• The Strings — the Oregon Symphony’s page about violins, cellos, and other string instruments
• Woodwind Instruments — information on flutes, clarinets, and the other woodwinds from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Hear Music Online
• AOL Music — the creator of the popular Internet service has an excellent online music site where you can hear songs and more
• Christian Radio — registration required to hear Christian music for free on this site
• Find Videos — search here for current, popular music videos
• Live 365 — find one of over 6,000 Internet radio stations here
• MTV Music — an excellent resource for viewing music videos online
• NPR Music — the music page for National Public Radio
• Pandora — create your own personalized radio station and more on this site
• Radio Locator — find the homepages and live audio streams of thousands of radio stations on this site
• Slacker Personal Radio — another good place to create radio stations and listen to your favorite music online
• Windows Media Radio — listen to your favorite kind of music in Windows Media Player