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Resource reviews are provided for teachers to support their teaching and learning programs.
The views expressed by reviewers are not necessarily those of the NSW Department of Education and Training. Copyright for reviews is held by the NSW Department of Education and Training. Permission for reproduction of reviews in part or full for any purpose must be sought in writing. For further information contact colleen.foley@det.nsw.edu.au
Sites are listed alphabetically by title. Where external links are a major part of a site, additional time would be required to locate relevant information on these linked sites. Please note that changes happen daily on the Internet. Sites come and go. We cannot guarantee that the following sites are permanent or are structured as they were when they were reviewed.
Audacity: the free, cross-platform sound editor
Australian Music Centre
Bali & beyond
Cathedral
C. K. Ladzekpo - African
music and dance
Dancedrummer.com
Diaspora
Eric Weisstein's treasure trove of the music
Filmsound.org
iClassics
Java music theory
The Joni Mitchell homepage
Latin percussion: play like a pro
Listen!: World Music Network
Ludwig van Beethoven: the magnificent master
Manikay.com: for the promotion and enjoyment of traditional Arnhem
Land music
Mozart's Musikalisches Wurfelspiel
The Mozart project
MusicAustralia
Musician's health
NetSmartzKids
NewMusicBox
New Zealand folk song
On location audio features
Radio 3 guide to world music
Ragtime
Ricci Adams musictheory.net
RootsWorld
Shakespeare Globe Centre Australia
Teoria: music theory web
The Internet Chinese music archive
The official Tommy Emmanuel website
The pure drop: an exploration and celebration of world music
The throat singers of Tuva
The woodwind fingering guide
Tod Machover's Brain opera
Yothu Yindi
Audacity: the free, cross-platform sound editor 
This site offers free software for recording and editing sounds and audio files. Users can record live audio, and convert tapes or vinyl records to digital recordings and CDs. Features include the ability to cut and copy files, splice and mix an unlimited number of files and tracks, add effects such as echo and reverse, and alter the pitch, tempo and volume of a recording. Importantly, students can import, change and export a wide range of different file formats, including MP3, using optional encoder software. As open source software, the program code is available to study, copy, change, and share with others. The software is easy to use and it has broad cross-curriculum application. For instance, it could be used to enhance slide, video or podcast presentations, and to incorporate audio into school websites. It is particularly suited to those TAS subjects where digital media technical learning is a focus. P. Conroy
USER LEVEL: Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: CA; TAS; VET
SYLLABUS: Computing Applications CEC Stage 6; Design & Technology 7–10; Information Processes & Technology Stage 6; Music 7–10; Music Stage 6; Photography, Video & Digital Imaging CEC Stage 6; Technology (Mandatory) 7–8
SCIS SUBJECTS: Computer programs; Free material; Sound synthesis – Equipment
PUBLISHER: Audacity, USA
REVIEW DATE: 18/12/06 [006.5] SCIS 1279412
Australian
Music Centre
A comprehensive listing of Australian
composers, with works held in the AMC library, is linked to further information
about each composer in an online database on this useful site. Some of
the biographies include a photograph, contact email address, and links
to journal articles and additional web sites. Time would be needed to
verify the curriculum relevance of these linked sites. Use the site map
to locate resources for Teachers and Students.
This site is a valuable starting point for teachers, and students researching
Australian music. A. Wisdom, J. Montague
USER LEVEL: Stage 5 Stage 6 Professional
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: Music 7-10; Music 1 Stage 6; Music 2 Stage 6; Music 2 Stage 6: Extension
SCIS SUBJECTS: Composers, Australian; Music, Australian
KEYWORDS: AMC; composers
PUBLISHER: Australian Music Centre
REVIEW DATE: 10/5/04 SCIS 1062735
Bali & beyond
A detailed introduction, in English,
to traditional Javanese and Balinese gamelan instruments and the wayang is
provided at this easily navigated, well presented site. To increase their
appreciation of Indonesian culture, users can listen to music clips of well
known and modern compositions performed by a group of Californian musicians.
Photographs depict the instruments being played in traditional ways. Traditional wayang performances
allow the user to experience innovative shadow plays. Information is
provided on the Mahabarata (in Wayang kulit) and traditional wayang
puppet making. Kechat leads to a discussion forum. The site could
help students explore some issues related to tourism and culture in Indonesia,
such as: reconciling modern and traditional influences, the commercialisation
of culture, cultural diversity, and the impact of cross-cultural contact.
K. Anstis
USER LEVEL: Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6 Professional
KLA: CA; Languages
SYLLABUS: Indonesian 7-10; Indonesian Stage 6: Beginners; Continuers; Background Speakers; Music Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Music, Balinese; Gamelan music; Wayang
PUBLISHER: Bali & Beyond, USA
REVIEW DATE: 10/5/04 SCIS 1030916
Cathedral
One of the first interactive online music projects,
Cathedral is a new form of musical composition offering a fascinating
musical experience. It includes both acoustic and computer music, live webcasts,
and new virtual instruments called Chaos, the Soundpool, and the
Pitchweb. Students can engage in their own unique musical experience, as
a listener, contributor, or active performer. The virtual instruments are always
available and interesting to experiment with. Cathedral is basically a
piece of music that is always available, with no beginning, middle, or end, and
that sounds different to each listener. Students and teachers will enjoy this
resource. A. Wisdom
USER LEVEL: Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: Music 7-10; Music 1 Stage 6; Music 2 Stage 6; Music Extension Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Composition (Music); Computer music
PUBLISHER: Monroe Street Music, USA
REVIEW DATE: 10/5/04 [781.3] SCIS 1109942
C. K.
Ladzekpo - African music and dance
Master drummer, composer and choreographer,
C.K. Ladzekpo, is director of the African music program at the University
of California. His site is a comprehensive study of the music and dance of
the Ewe people of Ghana. Each section contains information about a particular
aspect of Ewe culture, illustrated with graphics, videos, sounds and song
texts. The Foundation course in African dance-drumming is organised
in strands: Preface; Introduction to Anlo-Ewe culture; Drums
and drumming; Rhythmic principles; and Sub-Saharan dance-drum culture.
Drums and drumming demonstrates playing techniques for different drums
through images and text. Valuable information on rhythmic features is found
in Rhythmic principles, including cross-rhythm, Beat schemes,
and polyrhythms, with examples in music notation and audio clips. This is
an excellent resource for students studying the Stage 6 additional topic,
Music of a culture. A. Wisdom, J. Montague
USER LEVEL: Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: Music 7-10; Music 1 Stage 6; Music 2 Stage 6; Music 2 Stage 6: Extension
SCIS SUBJECTS: Dancing; Music, African
KEYWORDS: African music; Berkeley; Ladzekpo
PUBLISHER: University of California, USA
REVIEW DATE: 10/5/04 SCIS 1037963
Dancedrummer.com
On this site drummer
Kevin O’Sullivan presents a series of performances,
recordings and instruction sessions resulting from his study of the Atsia dance
and music of Ewe speaking people in Ghana. The site is a series of interactive
segments which contain Drumset recreations, tuition on types
of rhythms, The kogiri (a traditional xylophone from Ghana which
can be played by clicking on each bar with the cursor), Performance gallery with
videos of live performances, and musicological information on functional music.
An interesting African day name generator is found in Anlo-Ewe
culture. In Traditional rhythms, clicking on each instrument
results in the particularly useful combination of video footage with audio, plus
traditional notation at the bottom of the screen, with real time scrolling during
playback. A. Wisdom
USER LEVEL: Stage
4 Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: Music 7–10; Music Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Dancing; Drum music;
Drums; Ewe (African people); Folk music
PUBLISHER: Kevin
O’Sullivan, USA
REVIEW DATE: 26/05/06 [786.9] SCIS
1257046
Diaspora
Diaspora World Beat, initially a local quarterly, is now online. A
portal for contemporary world music, the website allows students to investigate
styles in Blues corner, World electronica, and Indigenous/folk. International
selections include music from Africa, Spain, India, and the Caribbean. The
site has articles on Feature artists, a list of Music festivals, photographs,
concert reviews, contacts for tuition in global styles, and media and radio
guides. The local perspective is strongly present, with Local flavour and multiple
Aussie links being useful for student research into the Music 7–10 mandatory
Topic: Australian music. The site also supportsthe study of Popular
music and Music of a culture in Music syllabuses. As aresource
for musicology, it provides a balanced description of international and local
artists, releases and events. M. Bradley
USER LEVEL: Stage
4 Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: Music 7–10; Music Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Folk music; Music – Ethnology; World
music
PUBLISHER: Diaspora
World Beat, Australia
REVIEW DATE: 01/11/06 [781.62] SCIS
1277774
Eric Weisstein's treasure trove of the music
Essentially dealing with music theory,
this site contains an index by subject, as well as an alphabetical listing
of music terms. Information is available on Chords and notes; Intervals;
Musical instruments; Musical notation; Scales and modes;
and Time signatures. The information is quite brief, explained in
simple language, and cross-referenced to related links within the site. Teachers
and students would need to allow time to verify the curriculum relevance
of such linked sites. American nomenclature is used for note values and a
search facility is included on the site. A. Wisdom, J. Montague
USER LEVEL: Stage 6 Professional
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: Music 1 Stage 6; Music 2 Stage 6; Music 2 Stage 6: Extension
SCIS SUBJECTS: Music; Musical instruments
KEYWORDS: Eric's treasure trove; musical instruments; theory
PUBLISHER: Eric. W. Weisstein, USA
REVIEW DATE: 10/5/04 SCIS 1062740
Filmsound.org
A comprehensive resource
compiled by a media teacher, this vibrant site explores a wide range of topics
and events in film sound design, from Mel Blanc to interactive music. Specific
mention is made of many films, including the underwater sounds of Finding
Nemo and the light saber sounds of Star wars. This
enthusiastic site is loaded with contemporary and historical information, and
effectively cross references material to Internet links and printed resources.
The site map will aid navigation and the search facility is fast and efficient. Animation
sound, Film sound terminology, Film music, Home
theatre sound, and Sound design of sci-fi films, will
be especially helpful to students and teachers in several KLAs. Multiple articles
on the art and technology of film sound, and interviews with sound experts, are
fine resources to explore the creative complexities of sound engineering. C.
Thomas
USER LEVEL: Stage
5 Stage 6 Professional
KLA: CA; English; TAS; VET
SYLLABUS: English 7–10; Entertainment Industry
Curriculum Framework Stage 6; Information Processes & Technology Stage 6;
Information & Software Technology 7–10; Music 7–10; Music Stage
6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Film making; Film music;
Sound recording and reproducing; Sound effects
PUBLISHER: S.E.
Carlsson, Sweden
REVIEW DATE: 26/05/06 [778.5344] SCIS
1206879
iClassics
A terrific resource for music teachers and students, this site has reviews,
articles, profiles, video interviews, and plenty of audio tracks. In Explore,
students can research composers in detail, read analytical pieces in On
music,
and investigate a chronology of the history of western music in the Timeline.
In the latter, an overview of the period includes links to articles about the
period. Students can access a particular period and view a list of composers
and works. Following that line of research, View articles then allows them
to access information about a specific genre, instrument, style or composer.
A. Wisdom
USER LEVEL: Stage 5 Stage 6 Professional
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: Music 7–10; Music Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Composers; Music, Classical
PUBLISHER: iClassics.com, USA
REVIEW DATE: 01/03/06 [781.6] SCIS 1241746
Java music theory
Online interactive music theory tutorials are available with or without audio
capabilities on this site. Those without audio have fewer options, but download
much faster. The tutorials cover a range of theory skills including: note
reading on a number of clefs; piano key identification; key signatures; scales;
intervals; and chords. Each new tutorial may take up to two minutes to load, but
it is worth the wait. Self evaluation is simple because the score displays the
number of correct and incorrect responses, the elapsed time, and the average
time for each response. This excellent set of tutorials is suitable for
individual or small group work in music classrooms, as well as private study. A.
Wisdom
USER LEVEL: Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: Creative Arts K-6; Music 7-10; Music 1 Stage 6; Music 2 Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Music–Problems, exercises, etc; Music–Theory
PUBLISHER: R. Whelan, USA
REVIEW DATE: 10/5/04 [781] SCIS 1109976
The Joni Mitchell homepage
This site pays tribute to the breadth
of the achievements across the arts, by singer and songwriter, Joni Mitchell.
It offers a comprehensive coverage of her life and works. There are: a chronological
biography; a list of over 90 Joni Mitchell guitar songs and their
tunings; lyrics; articles; original essays; book reviews; paintings; drawings;
sheet music covers; and artist originals. The discography includes: rarities;
unreleased material; and material covered by other artists. Other primary
source material includes conversations with musicians, song samples, and interviews.
There are Real Audio files of interviews, WAV files of interview excerpts,
and song samples and Midi files of eight of Joni Mitchell's songs. A. Wisdom
USER LEVEL: Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: Music 7-10; Music 1 Stage 6; Music 2 Stage 6; Music 2 Stage 6: Extension
SCIS SUBJECTS: Popular music
KEYWORDS: Joni Mitchell
PUBLISHER: Whole Earth Networks, USA
AUTHOR: Wally Breese
REVIEW DATE: 10/5/04 SCIS 1065136
Latin percussion: play like
a pro
By selecting Play like a pro, then Lessons from the
pros, it is possible to access an impressive selection of tutorials
in Latin percussion on this site. For example, How to play son has
a lesson from Victor
Rendon's book, The art of playing timbales, which describes
playing techniques and contains notation charts with accompanying audio examples
with which to play along. Conga basics, Conga warm up
patterns and How to play the guiro in Tech support contain
rhythm patterns, audio tracks, images and instructions. Online video
lessons include the excellent Basics of Latin music by Rebeca
Mauleon which identifies the Clave as
the heartbeat of the rhythms. Video performances allow the user to watch and
listen to Latin American percussion players as they jam. A. Wisdom
USER LEVEL: Stage
4 Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: Music 7–10; Music Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Music, Latin American;
Percussion instruments; Percussion instruments – Study and teaching; Percussion
music; Percussion music – Study and teaching
PUBLISHER: Latin
Percussion, USA
REVIEW DATE: 26/05/06 [786.8] SCIS
1257057
Listen!: World Music Network
A wide range of music from
across the world is featured here in a variety of media, including Rough Guide
radio, MP3 files, videos, and pod casts from the network. Site users can download
audio and video files of interviews and performances by artists. Music styles
represented here include African, Asian, Middle Eastern, European, Latin American,
Caribbean, North American, and music from Pacific nations. Learning experiences
can be developed by listening to short audio samples of styles and artists,
or by viewing and listening to video footage of performances. Site content
supports the study of Music of a culture in Music syllabuses.
The broad selection of material provides an insight into world music and could
be a springboard for developing ideas in composition and musicology. M. Bradley
USER LEVEL: Stage
4 Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: Music 7–10; Music Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Folk songs; World music
PUBLISHER: World
Music Network, UK
REVIEW DATE: 01/11/06 [782.42] SCIS
1277784
Ludwig van Beethoven: the magnificent master
Beethoven opened new realms of musical expression and he was a profound influence on composers throughout the 19th century. The site refers extensively to primary sources, citing letters, program notes, journal articles and critiques of performances. The information is comprehensive, detailing every stage of Beethoven’s life, creativity and development. His music is organised into compositional genres, including analyses of the works. The two Creation histories sections detail how Beethoven composed each of his works, where they were first performed, and how they were received. There is a section dedicated to musicians’ comments on Beethoven, with a piece by E.T.A. Hoffman on Beethoven’s instrumental music, and reflections on performing his music by violinist Yehudi Menuhin. A. Wisdom
USER LEVEL: Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: Music 7–10; Music Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Beethoven, Ludwig van; Composers, German
PUBLISHER: Raptus Association for Music Appreciation, Canada
REVIEW DATE: 17/12/07 [780.92] SCIS 1331393
Manikay.com:
for the promotion and enjoyment of traditional Arnhem
Land music
A comprehensive database focusing on
the traditional music of Arnhem Land, this site is a rich audio resource for
students investigating Aboriginal music. The discography search engine provides
access to some rare and out of print pioneering recordings, such as Arnhem
Land: authentic Australian Aboriginal songs and dances, collected by Elkin,
and recordings by LaMont West, Sandra Le Brun Holmes, T. Jones, Lester & Betty
Hiatt, and Alice Moyle. Track title, duration and description of performer,
location and instrumentation are included. Didjeridu and traditional music
of the top end includes Moyle’s notation system, glossary, references
and bibliography for further reading. Audio recordings has an alphabetical list
of resources, including online recordings, and cultural and music information.
The Art of the didjeridu has audio instructions for playing. This is an exceptionally
well-resourced site for the Music Stage 6 Topic: Australian music, and
it is definitely worth investigation by teachers looking for some audio input
to Indigenous studies across KLAs. A. Wisdom
USER LEVEL: Stage
3 Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6 Professional
KLA: CA; HSIE
SYLLABUS: Aboriginal Studies 7–10; Creative Arts K–6;
HSIE K–6; Music 7–10; Music Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Arnhem Land; Music, Aboriginal; Music,
Australian
PUBLISHER: Manikay.com,
Australia
REVIEW DATE: 01/11/06 [781.62] SCIS
1275848
Mozart’s
Musikalisches Wurfelspiel
The music and Table of rules for this
musical dice game are thought to have been published anonymously in 1787.
However, the table of rules is identical to one Mozart wrote in 1787. The
idea is to cut and paste precomposed bars of music together to create a minuet.
Students could compose a minuet by allowing the computer to generate all
the constituent random numbers and produce a piece, or pick the random numbers
and enter those instead. The program will generate a MIDI file, which can
be downloaded, and a score to print out. This feature alone marks this a
very useful and entertaining site to introduce students to the notion of
chance in musical composition. A. Wisdom
USER LEVEL: Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: Music 7-10; Music 1 Stage 6; Music 2 Stage 6; Music Extension Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Computer games; Minuets – Problems, exercises;
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
KEYWORDS: Chance music; Mozart
PUBLISHER: John Chuang, USA
REVIEW DATE: 10/5/04 [784.18] SCIS 1068944
The Mozart project
Articles on various topics, written
by noted Mozart scholars, provide a good source of research material for
musicology students. Biographical material includes: Mozart's life; brief
biographies of Mozart's mother, father and sister; chronological tables;
and a Mozart and Weber family tree. The Compositions are listed by Kšchel
numbers, and more information on specific works can be accessed by clicking
on the title of the work. The Bibliography is organised into categories such
as: biography; references; Mozart's works and writings; surveys; and overviews.
Each reference in the bibliography has a link to a short review of the book,
article, or research. Sound files are available in Real Audio. A.
Wisdom, J. Montague
USER LEVEL: Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: Music 1; Music 2; Music 2 Stage 6: Extension
SCIS SUBJECTS: Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
KEYWORDS: Mozart
PUBLISHER: Steve Boerner, USA
REVIEW DATE: 10/5/04 SCIS 1035118
MusicAustralia
With online access to over 150 000 resources including music scores, web sites,
multimedia, film, images, sound, and archives about Australian music, this
site will suit students researching a particular resource or area. The site
is not especially easy to navigate, and its loose structure could prove frustrating
for some users. Students can access information about music, musicians, organisations,
and services by following a theme such as Rock ‘n’ Roll, Indigenous
music, Flora, Sport, and Australian places. Site material supports the study
of Australian music in Stage 4 and Stage 5, and multiple topics in the Stage
6 syllabuses Music 1 and Music 2. The site is an attractive springboard for
exploring material about Australian music and culture. M. Bradley
USER LEVEL: Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: Music 7–10; Music 1 Stage 6; Music 2 & Music Extension
Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Music, Australian; Music, Australian – History and criticism;
Songs, Australian
PUBLISHER: National Library of Australia
REVIEW DATE: 01/03/06 [780.994] SCIS 1146936
Musician's
health
An enlightening web site, this provides valuable information about the cause
and prevention of injuries commonly suffered by musicians. Many of the articles
were written by a chiropractor, who specialises in the prevention, diagnosis,
and treatment of repetitive strain injuries suffered by musicians. Common
Muscular problems provides concise outlines of a range of conditions,
each linked to more detailed information from a variety of sources. Other worthwhile
information covers Environmental issues; Nutritional
issues; and Recommended books. Links includes
sites on techniques such as the Alexander technique, sites addressing hearing
problems for musicians, and sites devoted to specific instruments. These linked
sites require further exploration to verify curriculum relevance. J. Montague
USER LEVEL: Stage 6 Community Professional
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: Music 1 Stage 6; Music 2 Stage6; Music 2 Stage 6: Extension
SCIS SUBJECTS: Musicians; Occupational diseases; Repetition
strain injury
KEYWORDS: Alexander technique; carpal tunnel syndrome; Feldenkrais
method; hearing loss; musician’s health; RSI
PUBLISHER: Timothy Jameson, USA
REVIEW DATE: 10/5/04 SCIS 1034992
NetSmartzKids
An outstanding resource where students can learn about Internet safety, this
website uses a robot rap artist and swish interactive cartoons to get its message
across. Lessons, activities, and games are appealing and very suitable for students,
although it is easy to wander when navigating the site’s layout and choices.
There is plenty of colour, noise, and movement, with lessons presented as comic
books and rap videos. Video stories cover Internet privacy, computer viruses,
chat rooms, and the appealing lesson on The boy who loved IM,
which cleverly shows the pitfalls of instant messaging on the computer. In Tunes,
users can access lyrics and terrific music videos on such topics as digital piracy.
Apart from its ICT usefulness and Internet safety messages, the site is an excellent
resource for music students, and an intelligent model for those working with
digital technologies. The website has no links to outside sources. A. Kokkotas
USER LEVEL: Stage
3 Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: CA;
TAS
SYLLABUS: Creative
Arts K–6; Information & Software Technology 7–10;
Music 7–10; Music Stage 6; Visual Design 7–10; Visual
Design CEC Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Child protection; Computers – Safety
measures; Computers – Security measures; Internet – Safety measures;
Internet – Security measures; Safety education
PUBLISHER: NetSmartz
Workshop, USA
REVIEW DATE: 26/05/06 [004.67] SCIS
1250121
NewMusicBox
Presented here is an online magazine for and about new
American music. Each month, NewMusicBox includes: interviews with leading
figures in American music; articles such as the series on the role of the critic
in music; the latest American music news; audio excerpts of all the new compact
disc releases of new American music; video footage of interviews and concerts; a
listing of new music recording releases; and a calendar of performances
worldwide. Stage 6 music students will find this to be an excellent source for
researching the mandatory topic for HSC music, particularly the archives
section, where they can find an interview with Steve Reich, among others. A.
Wisdom
USER LEVEL: Stage 6
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: Music 1 Stage 6; Music 2 Stage 6; Music Extension Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Music, American
PUBLISHER: American Music Center, USA
REVIEW DATE: 10/5/04 [780.973] SCIS 1110147
New Zealand folk song
Laden with songs, images and Songbooks,
this site will intrigue teachers of Music. Maori songs are listed alphabetically,
and each one is treated comprehensively. A range of other songs, such as schoolyard
adaptations, NZ sea shanties and NZ Celtic will entertain and inform students
and teachers. Maori lyrics have English translations, and in most cases there
is a printable version of the sheet music, sometimes showing changes over time.
MP3 sound clips have renditions of a song by several performers, and MIDI files
of current and earlier treatments of a song are also provided. Details of song
origins include maps, discography, bibliography, spelling and pronunciation.
Song and dance styles including the haka, the poi, stick game songs and action
songs are explained and some are demonstrated in video footage. The site is
large and material is sometimes buried. It is well worth a look by teachers.
A. Wisdom
USER LEVEL: Stage
4 Stage 5 Stage 6 Professional
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: Music 7–10; Music Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Folk songs, New Zealand; Music, New Zealand;
Songs, Maori
PUBLISHER: J.
Archer, NZ
REVIEW DATE: 01/11/06 [782.42162] SCIS
1275853
On location audio features
BBC
reporters’ investigations and recordings of the music from over 30
countries are depicted on this interesting world music website. Short but entertaining
descriptions of the visit, the place, and the recording process accompany interviews
with musicians and online performances. The interviews are archived in audio
format, requiring RealPlayer, and the quality of the recorded music
examples is excellent. The programs vary in length, up to 55 minutes, with a
written introduction which sometimes contains a music playlist. Useful links
will allow students to further explore music of particular countries or regions.
The site is a valuable resource for Music syllabuses, particularly for the study
of music in a variety of cultural and social contexts. A. Wisdom
USER LEVEL: Stage
4 Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: Music 7–10; Music Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Folk music; World music
PUBLISHER: BBC
Radio, UK
REVIEW DATE: 01/11/06 [781.62] SCIS
1275840
Radio 3 guide to world music
Audio samples accompanied by a short overview and discography provide an introduction to the music of Algeria, Finland, Haiti, Japan, Mali, Romania, South Africa, Spain and Venezuela on this site. Ten tracks from each country have been included to reflect the musical diversity and history of the selected countries. With RealPlayer installed from RealNetwork’s website it is possible to listen to the whole program, or hear an individual track or music clip and the story behind it. In providing a comprehensive introduction to music of certain cultures, audio examples on this site will be useful for the Topic: Music of a culture in Music7–10and Music Stage 6. M. Bradley
USER LEVEL: Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: Music 7–10; Music Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: World music
PUBLISHER: BBC Radio 3, UK
REVIEW DATE: 30/04/07 [781.63] SCIS 1291742
Ragtime
The Library of Congress has a variety of rare and valuable resources for secondary music students and teachers. An example is the ragtime collection. This resource contains essays on the history and development of ragtime, landmark compositions, and Christensen’s Ragtime Review. Biographies of composers and performers have links to historic audio performances and images of original sheet music. The collection is rich with primary sources, including videos of interviews and performances, and sheet music arrangements which contain all the instrumental parts. Learn more links to more resources in the library on the same topic. Students selecting ragtime as a topic of study should begin here. A. Wisdom
USER LEVEL: Stage 4 Stage 6
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: Music 7–10; Music Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Music, American – History and criticism; Ragtime music; Ragtime music – History and criticism
PUBLISHER: Library of Congress, USA
REVIEW DATE: 10/09/07 [781.64] SCIS 1316929
Ricci Adams musictheory.net
The well ordered interface on this interactive site makes the information accessible and interesting for music students. Choices of Lessons, Trainers, and Utilities, take the site user to skills development activities in music theory. Some of these are straightforward and some will need advanced music skills to interpret the activity. Lessons are sequenced from beginner to professional musician, and Trainers contains drills in each skill with cumulative assessment and help tips. Utilities includes a Chord calculator, and a Matrix generator for composers working with tone rows. The site will suit students with an appreciation of music, rather than complete beginners. Downloads allows users to view the entire site offline. A. Wisdom
USER LEVEL: Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: CA K–6; Music 7–10; Music Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Music – Theory – Computer-assisted instruction
PUBLISHER: R. Adams, USA
REVIEW DATE: 14/06/05 [781] SCIS 1208403
RootsWorld
Listen to traditional, folk and world music from across
the globe. Discuss the music, and voice an opinion in Letters,
discussion and news . Find out What’s new? or
find artist Interviews from an archive covering the past
ten years. Read Reviews from the comprehensive list on the
front page and more, listen to Roots radio or subscribe
to visit The juke box. Access a plethora of information
and links to many countries and areas in Africa, Europe, Asia, The
Americas, and The Pacific via the Regional
menus. Listen to learn about Accordians and Bagpipes in
the Special interests section. This is a wonderful resource for
Music students, especially those studying the Group 1 Topic: Music of
a culture. A. Wisdom
USER LEVEL: Stage
4 Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: Music 7–10; Music Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Folk music; Music – Reviews;
Musicians; World music
PUBLISHER: Cliff
Furnald/FNI Multimedia, USA
REVIEW DATE: 26/05/06
[781.62] SCIS 1257012
Shakespeare
Globe Centre Australia
An exceptional resource for tracking student activities and teacher professional
development in NSW Shakespearean events, this site has much to offer English
and Creative Arts faculties. This organisation runs The Shakespeare Youth Festival,
which promotes ideas sharing and a process based approach to student play building.
The site has extensive information and guidelines on the festival’s activities,
including script writing, set construction, and photography. Site material is
mainly NSW oriented, with information about HSC day, an international connection
in Shakespeare in cyberspace, and the annual performance of a play on the English
syllabus. The site is a fine professional tool for teachers planning Shakespearean
activities, including attendances at festivals, workshops, performances, and
conferences. It allows teachers to stay up-to-date with contemporary developments
in teaching Shakespeare. C. Thomas
USER LEVEL: Stage
5 Stage 6 Professional
KLA: CA; English
SYLLABUS: Drama 7–10; Drama Stage 6; English 7–10; English
Stage 6; Music Stage 6; Photography, Video & Digital Imaging CEC Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: English drama – Study and teaching
PUBLISHER: University
of Sydney, Australia
REVIEW DATE: 01/11/06 [822.3] SCIS
1271980
Teoria: music theory web
Well organised and comprehensive, this interactive site is a valuable resource for competent music students. Tutorials presents music theory in a simple and consecutive format, although knowledge of music jargon is essential to understanding what is happening and to constructive use of the site. Exercises provide drills to develop theory and ear training skills, and this section includes Jazz scales, modes and extended Chords that will benefit even the most experienced musician. The comprehensive Reference section contains articles and many analyses of musical works. All interactive material uses Macromedia Flash, and the site can also be viewed in Spanish. A. Wisdom
USER LEVEL: Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: CA; Languages
SYLLABUS: CA K–6; Music 7–10; Music Stage 6; Spanish Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Music – Theory – Computer-assisted instruction; Music – Theory – Problems, exercises, etc.
PUBLISHER: J. Alvira, Puerto Rico
REVIEW DATE: 14/06/05 [781] SCIS 1208443
The Internet Chinese music archive
Audio files of many styles of Chinese music can be downloaded from this archive. The site is in Chinese and English, and although there appears to be a problem with the Chinese language font, everything else works. The collection includes traditional music and children’s songs. Modern Chinese music is categorised according to political era, with collections of popular music, ceremonial music, and an anthology. A list of mirror sites provides FTP access to the archive. The sound quality is very good and the size of the wave files averages around 1.3MB. Some are available as MP3. The site is a valuable resource for musicology students. A. Wisdom
USER LEVEL: Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: Music 7–10; Music Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Folk music, Chinese; Music – Ethnology; Music, Chinese
PUBLISHER: N. Xie, USA
REVIEW DATE: 10/09/07 [781.62] SCIS 1316915
The official Tommy Emmanuel website
Tommy Emmanuel is one of Australia's
leading guitarists and recording artists. This site is a valuable source
of information on his life and work. It contains excellent resource material
for musicology students and performers. The music is organised into
three sections: Recordings; For musicians; and Handy information.
Guitar tablature, tips and exercises to help aspiring
guitarists are included, together with extracts of riffs and licks from some
of the most popular electric guitar pieces. A. Wisdom
USER LEVEL: Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: Music 7-10; Music 1 Stage 6; Music 2 Stage 6; Music 2 Stage 6: Extension
SCIS SUBJECTS: Guitar music; Guitarists
KEYWORDS: Tommy Emmanuel
PUBLISHER: Broad Horizons, Australia
AUTHOR: Jackie Tadman and Craig Hindman
REVIEW DATE: 10/5/04 SCIS 1035018
The pure drop: an exploration and celebration of world music
In 11 episodes, the site comprises stories about musicians from various cultures performing in Australia. Multicultural Australia is the theme for this exploration of traditional and world music. Each episode focuses on one artist and one aspect of music, for example throat singing, by combining short video presentations with interactive activities. The videos can be downloaded for free, as can the numerous audio examples in MP3 format and a wealth of extra videos containing footage of musicians and groups performing in a similar style. Each episode is accompanied by examples of audio, scores and lyrics. This is an excellent resource. A. Wisdom
USER LEVEL: Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: Music 7–10; Music Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Folk music; Music – Ethnology; World music
PUBLISHER: Ether Multimedia, Australia
REVIEW DATE: 17/12/07 [781.6] SCIS 1331403
The throat singers of Tuva
The Music Topic: Music of a culture provides students with the opportunity to investigate any culture. For teachers, the difficulty is finding material that explores the function of music within that culture, analyses the music using musical terminology, and shows an understanding of the concepts of music. This online article provides an in-depth study of the function and technique of throat singing in the republic of Tuva in Siberia, relating its function to the legends and the landscape. The physiology of the human voice is examined in terms of producing harmonics. Vocal techniques (breathing and vibrato), stylistic variations (scale and melodic embellishments), and expressive devices (breathing, phrasing and dynamics) are explained. This is an excellent introduction to the genre, with unfortunately no audio samples. A. Wisdom
USER LEVEL: Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: Music 7–10; Music Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Folk songs, Russian – History and criticism; Music – Ethnology; Singing; Voice
PUBLISHER: MysticAsia Inc, Taiwan
REVIEW DATE: 10/09/07 [782.42162] SCIS 1316899
The woodwind fingering guide
Woodwind teachers and students will love this site because they can access the fingering charts of the main woodwind instruments, plus unusual instruments such as the Charanga flute , Irish uilleann pipes , Shakuhachi flute and the Sarrusophone . Questions and concerns can be addressed in the forum and further research accessed via the links page. Music students can learn more about woodwind performance techniques because the charts for each instrument are set out sequentially, from beginner to advanced, and in progressive octaves from first, to second, then third and fourth. An Alternate fingering chart and Trill fingering chart are best located through the site map. The site is a treasure trove for woodwind players. A. Wisdom
USER LEVEL: Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: Creative Arts K–6; Music 7–10; Music Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Wind instruments
PUBLISHER: T. Reichard, USA
REVIEW DATE: 17/12/07 [788] SCIS 1331413
Tod Machover's Brain opera
A unique musical experience that includes contributions from
both online participants and live audiences, Brain opera has been
evolving and touring since 1996. The creators invited people from all
backgrounds, who wanted to express ideas, experiences, and feelings in music and
sounds, to help create the Brain opera and be involved in the live
performances. There are many areas to explore on this site and it takes patience
to access them. Once there, the adventurous music student will find the ideas
and concepts presented very stimulating. The sound palette and the
Hyperinstruments provide many compositional ideas and challenge the
musical mind. A. Wisdom
USER LEVEL: Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6
KLA: CA
SYLLABUS: Music 7-10; Music 1 Stage 6; Music 2 Stage 6; Music Extension Stage 6
SCIS SUBJECTS: Music
PUBLISHER: MIT Media Lab, USA
REVIEW DATE: 10/5/04 [780] SCIS 1109965
Yothu Yindi
A comprehensive site providing information
about Aboriginal Australia through the music of the rock band Yothu Yindi.
Information about members of the band and its music is included in The
band with music samples in Music. Audio files are found
here, and include yidaki (didgeridoo) solos
by Makuma Yunupingu. Text, images and video footage provide information on
Yolngu culture and perspectives. The site has clear navigation and includes
an interactive music player to make your own mixes of their music. A valuable
introduction to Aboriginal music and culture is further enhanced by the link
to the Garma Festival on the front page of the site. This is also a valuable
resource for the Aboriginal Studies: Stage 6 syllabus in the areas
of Heritage and identity, Economic independence and for comparative
studies. J. Montague
USER LEVEL: Stages 5 Stage 6 Community Professional
KLA: CA; HSIE
SYLLABUS: Aboriginal Studies 7-10; Aboriginal Studies Stage 6; Music 7-10; Music 1 Stage 6; Music 2 Stage 6; Music 2 Stage 6: Extension
SCIS SUBJECTS: Music, Aboriginal; Rock music; Songs, Aboriginal; Yolngu (Aboriginal people)
KEYWORDS: Australian Aboriginal music; Aboriginal rock music; comparative study; didgeridoo; Mandawuy Yunupingu; Yolngu; Yothu Yindi.
PUBLISHER: Alan James and Yothu Yindi, Australia
REVIEW DATE: 10/5/04 SCIS 994960