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Music history involves the study of composition, performance, reception and criticism over a specific time period. Most studies revolve around the life and works of famous composers, including their developed styles, genres, modes of performance, and its influence on social events. Music history may also involve the study of any music genre from any culture around the world. Music history scholars may use a variety of study methods, including manuscripts, paleography, analysis, iconography, and historiography to fully understand the dynamics behind each musical piece. Music historians usually focus on producing musical collection editions, biographies of composers, and individual studies between musical words and the reflections of music in society.

Music History and Time Periods:

Music extends far back into antiquity; however, most educators focus on western influenced Classical music. Classical music was produced over the time span of thousands of years. In fact, the earliest recorded secular music stems from the 12^th century in the form of ballades, virelais, estampies, and notated manuscripts. Scholars have divided these compositions into six different historical periods, including the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Contemporary eras. Each musical composition has its own sound, texture, harmony, melody, form, and rhythm.

• Musical Timeline:  A comprehensive compilation of the entire history of Classical music starting from early antiquity to the years 1891-1900.
• The Symphony - An Interactive Guide:  An interactive guide to musical development between composers during the Classical period.
• Summary of Western Classical Music History:  An extensive background of Western Classical music starting from the Medieval periods and transitioning through the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Early 20 ^th  eras.
• Medieval Music: Birth of Polyphony:  An informative webpage detailing how the Medieval period birthed polyphony, a composition consisting of two or more independent voices.
• Rococo Period:  An educational less plan teaching students the basics of every musical era, including the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Classical, Romantic and Contemporary periods.

Famous Musicians:

Musicians have emerged to influence and shift social events of well-defined time periods. In fact, music simply would not have evolved to its modern form without the contribution of many talented and creative composers, such as Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johann Sebastian Bach, Domenico Scarlatti, William Mason, Joseph Haydn, Percy Grainger, and John Coltrane. Countless biographies exist that detail the lives of these influential composers, which also include the background on their famous works.

• Beethoven:  Ludwig van Beethoven, a composer who founded the Romantic Period, acquired deafness by the age of 28. This webpage summarizes the biography of this famous composer, including his early years, symphonies, deafness, and comparisons to Mozart.
• Romantic Period Timeline:  A timeline consisting of Romantic symphonies starting from 1780 to 1898, including “Eroica,” “3 ^rd -8 ^th  Symphony,” “Symphony 5,” “Pastoral,” “Gretchen am Spinnerade,” “The Star-Spangled Banner,” “Sonatas in C-major and D-major,” and more.
• Johann Sebastian Bach:  A complete biography of Johann Sebastian Bach, including individual portraits, literature, and complete works composed by master musician. It also includes a complete MIDI compilation of Johann Sebastian Bach’s works.
• Classical Music Navigator:  A comprehensive database of famous composers in alphabetical order beginning with Adam, Adolphe and ending with Zwilich, Ellen Taffe.
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:  A brief summary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s works, including his orchestral symphonies, divertimentos, cassations, serenades, minuets, and German dances.

Musical Associations:

Scholars, students, classroom music instructors, and band directors can join musical associations to network with other professionals in the arts. Diverse organizations exist to promote music education through a variety of resources that encourage musical creativity, expression, research, and composition among aspiring artists. Some associations will prepare and help develop instrumental skills of students. Others will provide instructional materials for classroom instructors and band directors, depending on the organization's intention.

• College Music Society:  The College Music Society promotes music education through a variety of resources, including musical creativity, expression, research, dialogue, and diversity of different styles.
• Society of Composers, Inc.:  A professional society dedicated to promoting, performing, understanding, and disseminating new and contemporary music.
• The American Bandmasters Association:  The American Bandmasters Association was founded in 1929 to recognize the achievement of modern band instructors and conductors.
• American Beethoven Society:  An international organization of devoted individuals who study and appreciate the life of Beethoven, including his comprehensive collection of unique compositions.
• Early Music America:  A non-profit organization dedicated to the field of historical performance in North America, and expanding the awareness and overall interest of the various musical periods.

Resources for Band Teachers:

Band teachers may find it difficult to recruit and synchronize students together in their performances, especially at the beginning of their careers. Numerous resources exist to help assist band directors in accomplishing these tasks, including assessment sheets, comprehensive lesson plans, practice exercises, scale sheets, inspirational quotes, solo and ensemble handouts, and musical software. Other resources specialize in general information for specific instruments, such as percussion instructional materials. Band teachers should compile and retrieve a list of helpful resources to maximize a satisfactory performance.

• Resources for Band Directors:  Centennial Middle School provides extensive resources for band directors, including assessment sheets and comprehensive lesson plans.
• FQMS Band - Band Director Resources:  A comprehensive list of resources for band directors, including inspirational quotes, practice exercises, scale sheets, solo and ensemble handouts, and music writing/recording/editing software.
• Advice for Beginning Band/Orchestra Directors:  An extensive list of video clips with general advice for beginning and advanced band directors.
• NAfME: Support Music:  Support Music empowers band directors to build individual cases and music programs. Band directors and other music advocates can find facts, statistics, research, and various anecdotes for specific presentations, speeches, exercises, tests, and other communications with affiliated school members, administrators, and legislators.
• Marc Zoutendijk Percussion Information:  This webpage offers general percussion information on drums, timpani, sticks, and advice for composers.

Resources for Vocal/Choir Teachers:

Vocal and choir teachers also have a challenge in the recruitment and development of newly discovered talent. Choir teachers have to assess the strongest voices of those who try-out during rehearsals and determine who has the potential for solid future performances. Countless resources exist in accomplishing this task, including searchable databases with thousands of choral scores, lyrical translations, voice exercises, and other training for live performances. Choral teachers will need an assortment of instructional materials to achieve the results they envision.

• Musica International: A searchable database of over 65,000 choral scores.
• ChoralNet:  A professional choral networking webpage connecting members to various forums, choral organizations, choirs, and other resources.
• The Aria Database:  A mega database offering over 1,288 arias, 177 operas, 389 translations, 1,027 aria texts, 223 MIDIs, and over 65 composers ranging from Mozart to Puccini.
• International Lyrics Database:  An international lyrics database of various texts from composers all over the world with various languages. It offers lyrical texts from classical to modern day artists.
• Chorister's Guild:  A networking membership website connecting over 4,000 children’s, youth, and adult choir teachers all over the world. It provides various resources to help instructors lead their own choirs.

Resources for Classroom Music Teachers:

Classroom music teachers acquire the responsibility of educating students on basic music theory. Students will likely use a variety of resources, including flash cards, instrument instructional materials, music manuals, music history textbooks, and more. Classroom music teachers address key subjects, such as note reading, circle of fifths, major and minor scales, modes, jazz scales, note values, and scale degrees. Many lesson plans will strictly hone in on composition and orchestration.

• M.U.S.I.C. - Musicians United For Songs in the Classroom, Inc:  A non-profit organization promoting and integrating various musical arts through the study of classical and modern music. M.U.S.I.C offers a popular song directory and index, classroom activities, lyrics reference guide, and gallery of student’s projects and written work.
• Music Theory:  A tutorial and educational resource teaching student’s basic music theory. It provides several tools, including music theory flash cards, guitar lessons, and reading music instruction manuals to accomplish the task.
• Music Instruction By a Computer: Music Theory I & II:  An educational website promoting individual lessons for beginner, intermediate, and advanced music theory. It offers tutorials on reading notes, key signatures, major and minors, modes, scale degrees, and note values.
• The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum:  Individual lesson plans for classroom music teachers who wish to instruct their students on rock and roll.
• Dolmetsch Online - Music Theory Online Contents:  An extensive resource database composed of music theory lessons focused on composition and orchestration.

Sheet Music:

The Internet offers multiple authoritative resources for those looking for sheet music samples. In fact, most websites categorize sheet music according to composer, subject, type of instrumentation, illustration, publication, and its title. Students and teachers can search databases for digital records available to the public domain at no cost. Most of these databases offer images and covers to each musical available on the web page itself. Libraries offer hard copy sheet music manuals for those seeking an offline source. Additionally, plenty of music associations will offer a diverse selection, which may include piano music, contemporary pieces, and Classical works by renowned composers.

• Historic American Sheet Music: A comprehensive compilation of sheet music categorized by composer, date, subject, instrumentation, illustrator, lyricist, publisher, and title.
• Digital Sheet Music Project: The University of South Carolina offers a searchable database to accessible bibliographic records in the public domain. It also includes images and covers to the music on each page.
• Keffer Collection of Sheet Music: The Keffer Collection of Sheet Music provides roughly 2,531 scores of music ranging from years 1790 to 1895. The collection consists of a diverse selection, including piano music, contemporary songs, and famous works by European composers.
• Sheet Music Consortium: The Sheet Music Consortium offers a diverse selection of tools and services promoting accessible sheet music collections online by scholars, students, and the general public.
• Indiana University Sheet Music: The Indiana University provides several repositories containing roughly 150,000 pieces of sheet music, including other digital images.

Music in the Public Domain:

Students and teachers can also retrieve copyright-free music in the public domain at no extra cost. Public domain music ranges from diverse cultures and time periods. Students and teachers can often find musical scores, liner notes, and sound recordings from various music genres, including choral, orchestral, opera, piano, solo, and chamber pieces. Many resources exist that will offer public domain files for download with detailed descriptions.

• Historic Music Currently Available: A searchable database of copyright-free historical music in categories ranging from the 1920s, Blues, Civil War, Civil War Reunion, French and Indian War, Gilded Age, Irish, Jazz, Minstrel, Negro Spirituals, Patriotic, Ragtime, Sacred, Sentimental, Tin Pan Alley, and World War I.
• VARIATIONS Prototype: Online Musical Scores: A comprehensive selection of experimental prototypes, including musical scores and liner notes used in conjunction with sound recordings. It includes online scores ranging from opera, song, orchestral and choral, chamber music, piano, solo instrumental literature, and corresponding sound recordings.
• American Popular Music 1900 to 1950: An appropriate subject guide to American Popular Music ranging from 1900 to 1950. Music reflects the times affecting the events and emotions of mankind. This web page offers several public domain files for download and live online listening.
• Where Can I Find Public Domain Civil War Era Music?: An extensive resource guide for curious individuals seeking Civil War era music in the public domain. It provides links to trustworthy downloadable files.