|
Music Education Resources
|
|
American Composers Forum
American Music Center
American Music Conference
ASCAP Foundation
American String Teachers Association
American Symphony Orchestra League
BMI
Chamber Music America
Eyeneer Music Archives
The GRAMMY Foundation and The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences
International Association for Jazz Education
International Bluegrass Music Association
Meet the Composer
MENC: The National Association for Music Education
Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation
Music Education Online
National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts
OPERA America
SupportMusic.com
VH1 Music Studio
http://www.composersforum.org/
The American Composers Forum (AFC) links communities with composers and performers, encouraging the making, playing, and enjoyment of new music. Through grants, commissions, and performance programs, AFC supports composers nationwide. Its website posts news and program information, links to ten regional chapters, newsletter archives, and opportunities for residencies, commissions, competitions, grants, workshops, and conferences. The site also provides extensive links to music sites, individual composers, and copyists with rates and contact information.
http://www.amc.net/
The American Music Center (AMC) is a national service and information center for new American music. AMC’s online offerings include a monthly web magazine, a library and listening room, and grant, professional development, and career-support opportunities. The 9/11 Project collects works created in response to the events of September 11, 2001; the New American Music for Young Audiences is a searchable online catalogue, updated regularly, of contemporary American music composed specifically for students. Additional online resources include publications order forms, information assistance— which invites site visitors to submit questions about new American music—and links to over 500 member websites of individuals, organizations, and ensembles.
http://www.amc-music.org/
A national nonprofit founded in 1947, the American Music Conference (AMC) promotes the importance of music, music-making, and music education to the general public. AMC’s website posts news and events, family activities, recent articles on music education, plus research findings and statistics about how making music relates to learning, social behavior, wellness, and children’s physical development. The site also offers an advocacy toolkit for schools with sample letters and press releases, brochures, video, and tips for persuading local decision-makers to support music education. And AMC’s TheMusicEdge.com, a special website just for teens, features interviews with popular artists, reviews of new releases, tips for starting a band or club, contests, MP3 downloads, and a discussion board.
http://www.ascapfoundation.org/
The ASCAP Foundation nurtures emerging composers and songwriters, recognizes the achievements of established creators, and promotes music education to students. The website provides information about ASCAP Foundation awards, grants, and talent development programs like songwriter workshops, residencies, camp scholarships, and commissions. Its Living Archive Project videotapes prominent ASCAP songwriters and composers to document their place in music history. The ASCAP Foundation also has teamed with the Music Education Coalition, the nation's largest grass roots initiative to support school music programs, to launch SupportMusic.com. The website simplifies the advocacy process by helping community members customize their campaigns to specific local issues.
http://www.astaweb.com/
The American String Teachers Association (ASTA) advances string education and performance; its members include K-12 teachers, university faculty, performers, students, and string industry representatives. Its recently launched National Foundation marshals needed resources to bring the joy of string playing to more children and administers all ASTA grants, awards, competitions, and outreach. The ASTA website features events, professional development opportunities, and job openings, plus an online bookstore and discussion groups. It also posts national standards for high school string teachers, plus archives and writer guidelines for ASTA’s journal.
http://www.symphony.org/
The American Symphony Orchestra League provides leadership to American orchestras while communicating to the public the value of orchestras and the music they perform. The website is a comprehensive source of information on topics ranging from board and governance, community relations, and marketing to education, career services, and links to children’s music sites. A Government Affairs department works to ensure continued federal, state, and local financial support for symphony orchestras and updates legislative developments through a quarterly newsletter. A Youth Orchestra Division promotes youth orchestras as essential musical, educational, and cultural assets; its online resources include a newsletter, handbook, discussion groups, and calendar of events and opportunities.
http://www.bmi.com/home1.asp
A non-profit founded in 1940, BMI is an American performing rights organization representing approximately 300,000 songwriters, composers, and music publishers. It collects license fees then distributes royalties for public performances of approximately 4.5 million compositions. The BMI Foundation, founded in 1985, has established a number of fully endowed funds—awards, scholarships, internships, grants, and commissions--for the encouragement of young composers. The BMI website features organizational information, a listening room, and links to U.S. music and entertainment industry associations and international copyright groups. It also posts BMI handbooks and guides in English and Spanish on topics like copyright, royalties, and music publishing terminology; a bibliograpy of music industry books; plus updates regarding federal, state, and local legislative activities on copyright issues.
http://www.chamber-music.org/
Chamber Music America promotes artistic excellence and economic stability within the profession and helps make chamber music a vital part of American life. The website posts program information about commissions, new works, and residencies, plus discussion boards and an events calendar. Online publications include a newsletter, Chamber Music magazine, and directories of members and professional opportunities.
http://www.eyeneer.com
Eyeneer Music Archives is both an educational website that makes available comprehensive information about music and an entertainment center that presents new and unique music. Online offerings for a variety of musical genres include biographies, discographies, new releases and reviews, photos, video, and sound samples. Site visitors can also purchase CDs.
http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Foundation/
Established in 1957, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. improves the cultural environment for music and its makers—and sponsors the GRAMMY Awards. Its non-profit arm, the GRAMMY® Foundation, offers a variety of music and arts education programs and services. The Leonard Bernstein Center For Learning, the Foundation's signature program, is an arts-based, comprehensive, K-12 school reform model that prepares teachers to use the arts to reinforce teaching and learning in all subjects. A special recognition program rewards top high school jazz musicians with a visit to the host city of the GRAMMY Awards, where student ensemble members rehearse and perform at GRAMMY-week activities. Other initiatives offer students day-long conferences about the recording industry and a mentoring program that pairs at-risk high school music students with music professionals. The GRAMMY Foundation website offers detailed information about these and other programs, along with an online store, calendar, news bulletins, current and archived issues of GRAMMY Magazine, photo galleries, and video samples from the GRAMMY telecast.
http://www.iaje.org/
With 8,000 members in 40 countries, the non-profit International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) works for the continued growth and development of jazz through education and outreach. The website posts program information about efforts like IAJE’s teacher training institutes, annual conference, and its Artist Outreach Network, which fosters communication between students and artists through grants and an online database that connects jazz musicians with educational venues for clinics and workshops. The site also features an online publications catalogue, current and back issues of Jazz Education journal, links to a variety of jazz resources, and a Gallery of Masters—streaming audio and video of American jazz masters presented in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.
http://www.ibma.org/
The International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) works for high standards of professionalism, a greater appreciation of its music, and the success of the worldwide bluegrass community. The website posts articles from current and past issues of IBMA’s newsletter International Bluegrass, market research information and industry statistics; career and educational listings with contact information of college-level bluegrass and music business programs; and links to periodicals, books, videos, and museums. Other online offerings include information on IBMA’s teacher workshops and mini-grants for in-school bluegrass music programs, plus an implementation manual that assists both artists and classroom teachers interested in developing educational bluegrass programs. Also available is an order form for a 34-minute video and six-page lesson plan that covers the history and origins of bluegrass music, a demonstration of harmony structure, the instruments used in bluegrass, and live bluegrass music.
http://www.meetthecomposer.org/
Meet the Composer (MTC) increases opportunities for composers by fostering the creation, performance, dissemination, and appreciation of their music.
Through a range of commissioning, residency, education, and audience interaction programs, Meet The Composer has helped establish broadly accepted standards of payment and opened opportunities for working in cultural institutions of all kinds. The website posts program descriptions, applications, and announcements; a calendar of performances and events; interviews with MTC composers; and lengthy listings of composer contacts and industry links.
http://www.menc.org/
MENC: The National Association for Music Education advances music education by encouraging the study and making of music by all. Formerly Music Educators National Conference, the association changed its name in 1998 to better reflect a growing membership of not just teachers and university faculty but college and high school students as well. The website offers a wealth of information about music education, on topics like jazz, chorus, band, orchestra, technology, government affairs, and legislation. The site also posts research findings, statistics, and scores of the books, magazines, journals, videos, and compact discs MENC publishes. Also available online are the National Standards for Music Education, accompanied by more than 20 documents detailing instructional techniques for helping students accomplish the standards. Interactive features include online surveys, contests, awards’ nominations, discussion areas, and a career center with listings from both job seekers and employers.
http://www.mhopus.org/
Inspired by the motion picture of the same name, Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation (MHOF) was founded by the film's composer in 1996 as his commitment to the future of music education. MHOF provides new and refurbished musical instruments to under-served schools, community music programs, and individual students nationwide. The website posts grant guidelines, applications, and recipients, plus a photo gallery and links to helpful music resources.
http://www.childrensmusicworkshop.com/
Sponsored by Children's Music Workshop, Music Education Online provides a database searchable by zip code, instrument, musical style, or skill level that helps students locate music teachers in their area. The site also posts dozens of articles about the importance of music education, links to grant opportunities and other resources, an online store offering thousands of music books, CDs, and videos at substantial discounts, plus a chat room for music educators.
http://www.nationalguild.org/
The Guild fosters broad access to high quality arts education designed to meet community needs. To that end it provides service, advocacy, and leadership for community arts education organizations. The website includes program information about efforts like the Young Composer Awards and the MetLife Youth Music program, a three-year collaboration that makes available free, private, and group music instruction to middle school children from under-served communities in ten cities. The site also posts facts and figures about community schools for the arts, a directory of 600+ member schools, a publications order form, and links to arts resources.
http://www.operaamerica.org/
OPERA America strengthens the field of opera by providing a variety of informational, technical, and administrative resources to the greater opera community. The website is a comprehensive source of information about all facets of opera. Online educational materials include a distance learning center and quick facts about opera attendance, performances, and audience demographics. A growing library features publications, research findings, newsletters, interviews, legislative advocacy updates, and policy briefings. The site also highlights opera education programs, career services, and professional development events. Particularly helpful are the site’s extensive listings, directories, and searchable databases that catalogue the following: opera companies, composers, and artists; basic information on North American works of opera, featuring composer, premiere date and place, length, and musical style; opera season schedules, including broadcasts on television, radio, and the Internet; and a production directory of sets, costumes, props, and musical materials available for rent from member organizations.
http://www.supportmusic.com/
SupportMusic.com is a public service of the Music Education Coalition that advocates for music education in schools and the community. The site helps visitors overcome budget cuts, time constraints, and other obstacles to build the case for school music programs. Online resources include supporting facts, research findings, case studies, and proven arguments from leaders in the field, plus tips on organizing. The site also provides a good list of links to other music resources.
http://www.vh1musicstudio.com/
VH1 Music Studio airs commercial-free, educational programming for use in the music and cross-curricular classroom each month. The website posts program schedules with downloadable lesson plans and a calendar of professional development opportunities for teachers. VH1’s non-profit arm, Save The Music Foundation, purchases new musical instruments to restore music education programs in America’s public schools. The Foundation also conducts musical instrument drives, fundraising events, and campaigns to raise awareness of the positive impact music participation has on students. It posts online profiles and video clips of young musicians who have benefited from the program.