LibGuides: Music Education: Music

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Online Resources

Library Audio Databases

Naxos Music Library This link opens in a new window
Our largest classical music database.
DRAM This link opens in a new window
Primarily American composers and artists, including lesser known works.
Jazz Music Library This link opens in a new window
Over 66,000 albums in all jazz styles.
Smithsonian Global Sound This link opens in a new window
Traditional and popular music from around the world.

Library Video Databases

Berliner Philharmoniker Digital Concert Hall This link opens in a new window
Concerts, documentaries, and interviews in high definition. Create a free account on your first visit. Access limited to 1 user at a time.
Dance in Video This link opens in a new window
Hundreds of performances, interviews, documentaries, and instructional videos covering ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, experimental, improvisational, and more.
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive This link opens in a new window
Full-length videos from the Jacob's Pillow Dance festival. Includes interviews and performances by top dancers and companies in almost all dance styles.
Jacob's Pillow Dance Stream This link opens in a new window
Videos, interviews, and more from the Jacob's Pillow dance festival.

More Online Music Resources

IMSLP
Tens of thousands of scores and recordings in the public domain.
Musopen
Recordings, sheet music, and other educational materials, without copyright restrictions.

See our related guides for more online music resources:

Music Scores Online
by Lisa Read Last Updated Jan 2, 2024 128 views this year
Streaming Audio & Video
by Lisa Read Last Updated Oct 3, 2023 29 views this year

How to Find Music

Find Scores and Recordings

In the Allen Library

Open the library catalog.
Search the title and composer's name.
Limit to the format you desire.
Find a result for the piece you need.
Use the location and call number to find the item.

Image: Catalog search with the format limited to Printed Music, and search result showing location and call number.

Online

Can't visit the library? Use our guides to Music Scores Online or Streaming Audio & Video to find online score & recording sites, then search for the piece you need.

Get help

Searching for music can be tricky! If you can't find what you need, ask a librarian for help.

Browse the Shelves

Browsing is a great way to discover new music if you don't have a specific piece in mind!
Use these call numbers to find music for the classroom:

Call Number	Genre
M6 – M990	Instrumental solo and chamber ensembles
M1000 – M1075	Orchestra
M1100 – M1160	String orchestra
M1200 – M1270	Band
M1375 – M1420	Children's instrumental music
M1497 – M1998 M1530 – M1610 M1990 – M1998	Secular vocal Choral Children's
M1999 – M2199 M2020 – M2101 M2190 – M2196	Sacred vocal Choral Children's

Looking for recordings instead? Swap out "M" in the call numbers above for one of the letter combinations below to find recordings of that same genre.

Example:
M1420 = Children's orchestra, printed music
MD1420 = Children's orchestra, CDs

Call Number Letters	Format
MD	CDs
MR	LPs (records)
MO	DVDs
MV	VHS tapes

Use a Repertoire Guide

Repertoire Guide: A list of music for a specific instrument or group. Often describes style, difficulty, or musical features.
Here are a few selected guides in the Allen Library:

The Band Music Handbook by Christopher M. Cicconi
Call Number: ML128 B2 C53 2017 [Allen shelves]
A catalog of band music from the past 25 years for all ages and skill levels. Each listing includes date of origin, duration, instrumentation, and publisher. Includes a list of publishers, bibliography, and march list.
Choral Repertoire by Dennis Shrock
Call Number: ML128 C48 S47 [Allen shelves]
Publication Date: 2009
Covers the full canon of Western choral tradition. Contains a general description of each historical era, styles of various countries, composer biographies, and performance annotations of more than 5,000 works.
Daniels' Orchestral Music, 6th ed. by David Daniels, David W. Oertel, David A. Rahbee
Publication Date: 2022
E-book.
The gold standard for orchestral programming. Over 14,000 entries with duration, instrumentation, and composition date. Includes appendices for browsing by ensemble type, instrumentation, duration, composer anniversaries, and more.

Find more repertoire guides

Browse the Reference shelves by call number:

Call Number	Topic
ML128 B2	Band music guides
ML128 C4	Chamber music guides
ML128 C48	Choral music guides
ML128 N8	Orchestra music guides

Browse the catalog by subject:
Band music > Bibliography
Choral music > Bibliography
Choruses > Bibliography
Orchestral music > Bibliography

Browse the Catalog for Music

If you're not looking for a particular piece, browse the catalog using subjects, for example:

Band music
Choruses
Juvenile music
String orchestra music

You can find even more subjects in individual catalog records. Find a piece of your desired ensemble/genre, then click on a subject to find more materials with that subject:

Listening & Viewing Equipment

Come to the Allen Library! Our listening carrels and listening/viewing rooms can play:

CDs, LPs, cassette tapes, reel-to-reel tapes
DVDs, Blu-rays, VHS tapes
Your devices via Bluetooth, VGA, HDMI, AUX cable, Apple TV

Equipment is generally first-come, first-served, but rooms may be reserved for certain uses. Contact us (860.768.4840) for more information.

How do I choose the right format?

Here are some of the most common formats for printed music:

Score
Shows all instruments

Miniscore/study score
Small version of the full score

Vocal score
Piano and vocal line(s) only

Parts
Individual pieces for each instrument

You can determine the format by looking at the catalog record, in the Subjects or Description section: