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Music: Explore a Topic

Introduces resources recommended for use of courses in music.

Find Background Information

Good places to find background information:
  • Your textbook or class readings
  • Encyclopedias, handbooks, & other reference materials
  • Credible websites
  • And of course ...

Music Reference Sources

Are there books on your topic?

When a reference tool is too broad, it can be useful to seek out a book.

Important Considerations
  • Is there a specific area within the broader topic that you're curious about or even irked by?
  • Is there a cause-effect relationship that you're curious about?
  • Look for unanswered questions.
  • Are there time periods or groups of people within the discipline that strike a chord for you?
  • If you think you've got a topic worth writing about, try to explain it informally to a friend. Are there gaps in what you know? Did any questions come up?

Music Book Databases

More Reference Databases

Handbooks, Encyclopedias, & Dictionaries

The Bloomsbury Handbook of Religion and Popular Music

Essential reference point for anyone with an interest in religion and popular music as well as popular culture more broadly

The Oxford Dictionary of Music

The Oxford Dictionary of Music

R 780.3 K36o 
Found on the first floor in the reference section and online.

The Plain and Simple Guide to Music Publishing

070.5794 W835p
Gain a crucial understanding of musical copyrights and licensing basics.

The Singer's Companion

783 S873s
Provides both students of singing with a reliable and readable introduction to issues of training and maintaining a healthy voice.

Musical Terms, Symbols and Theory

Authoritative source for researchers, musicologists, professionals, teachers, and students of music.

Oxford Dictionary Plus Music

Authoritative entries on people and organizations related to music

A/V A to Z

An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Media, Entertainment and Other Audiovisual Terms

The Oxford Handbook of Music and Disability Studies

780.87 O984h
Make the case that disability is not something at the periphery of culture and music, but central to our art and humanity.