LibGuides: Music Education: Research

Articles

Articles are great for research because they generally cover a very narrow topic in great detail. In addition, scholarly journal articles generally include a bibliography where you can find more resources on the same topic.

Journal Article Databases

Library databases provide citations for articles, book chapters, and more. Most articles/chapters focus on a narrow and specific topic, so they are great for deeper research. To get started:

Choose a database.
Search for keywords such as genres, topics, names of people, etc.
Limit your results by date, language, and more with the the left-hand menu on the results page.

Need more help?

See our Article help page for step-by-step instructions and videos to help you search databases and find full-text articles. And you can always ask a librarian for individual help.

Music Article Databases

Music Index Online This link opens in a new window
Article citations from over 700 music journals.
Music Periodicals Database This link opens in a new window
Article citations from over 400 music journals.
RILM This link opens in a new window
Citations for scholarly music and dance books, articles, dissertations, and more.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Full-text articles from almost 100 scholarly music, dance, and theatre journals, plus other subjects. Excludes recent years.

Education Article Databases (selections)

ERIC (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
Education Resources Information Center. Provides coverage of journal articles, conferences, meetings, government documents, books and more.
Professional Development Collection (Education) This link opens in a new window
Designed for professional educators, this database provides a highly specialized collection of education journals and educational reports.
ProQuest Education Journals This link opens in a new window
This database includes journals in education and related fields. ProQuest Education Journals gives users access to top educational publication.
Teacher Reference Center This link opens in a new window
Teacher Reference Center provides citations for popular teacher and administrator journals and magazines to assist professional educators.

Find more databases with our Database Locator.

Psychology Article Databases (selections)

ProQuest Psychology Journals This link opens in a new window
Provides access to charts, diagrams, tables, and other graphical elements essential to psychological research from top psychology and related publications.
Psychology Complete from Ebsco This link opens in a new window
Searches PsycINFO and PsycARTICLES at the same time for a wide range of psychology articles, books, and selected dissertations.

Find more databases with our Database Locator.

Professional Journals (selections)

Journals are a great place to learn from experts about the most recent developments in your field.
Search articles online or browse the Allen Library current periodicals (near the Allen entrance). Here are just a few to get started:

American Suzuki Journal by Suzuki Association of the Americas
Call Number: ML1 ASJ
Available in print only.
Journal of Research in Music Education by NAfME
Available in print and online (1953-present).
The Kodály Envoy by Organization of American Kodály Educators
Available in print (1975-present) and online (2007-preseent).
Music Educators Journal by NAfME
Most recent issues available online only.
The Orff Echo by American Orff-Schulwerk Association
Available in print only.

Books

Oxford Handbooks

Oxford Handbooks for Music Education
Handbooks from Oxford University Press on a variety of topics related to music education. Each handbook contains a number of in-depth chapters by respected scholars in their field.

There are additional books in the Oxford Handbooks series that may be applicable to music educators. Here are just a few:

The Oxford Handbook of Music and the Brain
The Oxford Handbook of Music Performance
The Oxford Handbook of Singing

To find more, search the catalog for "oxford handbook" plus other key words for your area of interest.

Philosophy Books (selections)

A Different Paradigm in Music Education by David A. Williams
Call Number: MT1 W55 2019 [Allen shelves]
Aims to help music educators consider new modes of pedagogical thought to broaden their reach and better help students develop as lifelong musicians.
The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy in Music Education by Wayne Bowman and Ana Lucia Frega (Editors)
Call Number: MT1 O935 P45 [Allen shelves]
Publication Date: 2014
A diversity of perspectives from both established and newer scholars around the globe, addressing everyday concerns faced by music educators everywhere.

Research Methods (selections)

Design and Analysis for Quantitative Research in Music Education by Peter Miksza and Kenneth Elpus
Call Number: MT1 M55 2018 [Allen shelves]
Provides a foundational understanding of quantitative inquiry methods. Companion website provides supplementary exercises and videos.
Inquiry in Music Education by Hildegard Froehlich; Carol Frierson-Campbell
Call Number: MT1 F76 I5 [Allen shelves]
Publication Date: 2013
An introduction to topic formulation, information literacy, evaluating research studies, and planning and conducting original studies.
The Oxford Handbook of Qualitative Research in American Music Education by Colleen M. Conway (Editor)
Call Number: MT1 O935 Q35 [Allen shelves]
Publication Date: 2014
Explains the terms, approaches, and issues associated with qualitative research, and provides models of studies from various music education disciplines.
Statistics in Music Education Research by Joshua A. Russell
Call Number: MT1 R87 2018 [Allen shelves]
Explains a range of statistical analyses from inception to research design to data entry to final analysis.

Find more research method books

Browse by subject in the catalog, for example:
Music > Instruction and study > Research
Music > Instruction and study > Statistics
Quantitative research
Statistics

Reference

Reference resources include dictionaries, encyclopedias, and more.
They often provide a short overview of a topic, then point to more resources you can use for further research.

Music Reference Databases

Garland Encyclopedia of World Music Online This link opens in a new window
Essays about music from all parts of the world.
Grove/Oxford Music Online This link opens in a new window
Extensive music encyclopedia with articles, works lists, and citations.
Oxford Bibliographies - Music This link opens in a new window
Lists of resources for advanced research on many music subjects.

Suggest a Resource

Know of a resource you think should be added to this guide? Let us know!

Want to suggest we purchase something new? Contact Tracey Rudnick (rudnick@hartford.edu).

Find Full Text Articles

Search eJournal Locator for the journal title:

Need help? See our article help page or ask a librarian.