The Mayday Group -- "action for change in music education: information and resources for scholars, students, and teachers" -- a group that encourages critical reflection and the pursuit of social justice through music education -- they publish the online scholarly journal ACT: Action, Criticism and Theory for Music Education.
Music for All -- This is a national organization that engages in advocacy and progams promoting music education for ALL students, with particular attention to ensuring that low income communities, schools, students, and families have access to music education -- the site includes research, information about programs, and much more.
The Sphinx Organization -- a great organization that works to increase the participation of Blacks & Latinos in music schools, as professional musicians, and as classical music audiences. They especially administer youth development initiatives in underserved communities through music education.
The Sphinx Kids Homepage -- includes information about minority composers, videos of minority string players practicing, fun games, and more.
A Video of Ithacappella and New York's PS22 Elementary School Singing Together -- a YouTube video of an impromptu version Owl City's "Fireflies". The kids are great, but also watch the teacher!! He's doing so many things right!!!
National Association for Music Education -- Music Educators National Conference (MENC) -- lots of valuable articles, resources, and links.
Occhiata Foundation -- an organization in Monterey County, California that provides multidisciplinary education about opera, including free trips to see, hear, and experience opera, for diverse youth in schools throughout the county. They students they serve "come from the underserved communities of south Monterey County, 95% of whom are of Latino heritage with Spanish as the primary language in the home."
SoundBeam -- website discussing the use of sound-beaming, which is a relatively new technology which allows even profoundly physically or learning impaired individuals be expressive and communicative through music.
The National Association for Music Education: Does Music with a Sacred Text Have a Place in the Public Schools? -- a website that supplies teachers with information about how to introduce religious music into their curriculum.
Songs for Teaching -- This website provides songs and musical activities for a wide variety of disciplines (math, social studies, ELL, etc.). It includes free song/lyric downloads.
Can Music Make your Kids Smarter? -- an article about the positive effects of music education on child development.
Multicultural Music Resources -- a website with links to a variety of web pages and articles devoted to incorporating multiculturalism into music education curriculums.
Artist's House Music -- This YouTube Channel has several great videos and interviews about the importance of music in our schools.
Music Teachers National Association -- more good articles, resources, and links.
Ethnomusicology Resources on the Web -- a great list of links about musics of the world -- an excellent resource for music educators and others interested in world music and multicultural music education.
The Hip Hop Violin and String Quartets of Haitian American Composer, Daniel Bernard Roumain -- a radio segment about Roumain and his hip hop compositions -- includes audio clips of his work, as performed by the Lark String Quartet.
Nuttin' But Stringz: Hip Hop Violin -- a radio segment about a pair of violin playing, Julliard trained African American brothers who are making their own music.
Ethel: A String Quartet with an Entirely New Sound -- hip hop samples, sound effects, and more in the world of string quartets.
BLK JKS: World Music With Teeth -- a radio segment about a South African rock band (pronounced Black Jacks) that "specializes in a shadowy, foreboding style of progressive rock that's distinctly African. Beneath fantastic tangles of electric guitar are superheated beats — rhythms that have roots in the "township jive" dance music that erupted in South Africa in the 1970s." Great stuff!! Check it out!!
Interdiscplinary Study of Westward Expansion -- presents a unit of study about the development of the U.S. West using the musical, Oklahoma, as a vehicle to explore history and cultural myths.
Music Education Online -- extensive resources and links.
Reference Articles -- a valuable resource for both teacher and student that allows students or teachers to explore music of different cultures, historical periods, as well as different musical styles.
American Composers Forum: Band Quest -- a website aimed at middle school instrumental music, which includes a music lab for students with interesting games and activities related to many of the compositions.
The New York Philharmonic Kids Website -- an interesting and interactive website for kids that allows them to explore different instruments and composition with interactive games.
University of Virginia Library: Music in American Life -- a summary of American music that often gets overlooked in history. The website includes hymns, spirituals, musicals, protest songs, and more.
Jazz at Lincoln Center -- educational programs and a jazz curriculum designed around a 10 CD set (one CD-ROM), written and narrated by Wynton Marsalis. The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchstra plays a variety of music, at times centered around the African American jazz tradition -- information, too, about the orchestra.
Smithsonian Jazz Program -- called "culturally important...spectacular musically," by the New York Times includes links to concert events and Smithsonian educational programs -- lectures by jazz musician and scholar, David Baker -- and, check out the Jazz Legacy Education Program.
Jamey Aebersold Jazz Books -- offers a large variety of song books with accompaniment through all styles of jazz -- books include information about important musicians associated with particular styles and time periods.
Kindermusik International -- music instructional program and materials for young children.
American Orff-Schulwerk Association -- a website about the teachings of music educator, Carl Orff, which focus on active learning by singing, playing, hearing, moving, and creating -- links, workshops, and other useful information.
Ricci Adams' Music Theory -- a great resource for teachers and students, which includes lessons and exams to practice and reinforce skills in music theory learned in class.
Jewish Music Resources -- This site provides links to books and articles that you can read online about Jewish music.
National Public Radio's Website about Jazz-- includes historical material, audio clips, and more.
Puerto Rican Music -- a good overview of Puerto Rican music traditions and contributions.
Smart Music -- This is a program that allows students to play along with a recording to help them keep time as well as do other musical activities on their own with a computer.
Musicarts.com -- This company rents out instruments and could be a valuable resource for getting instruments for beginning level students.
The String Project -- one of the leading organizations in creative string education in America. Progressive string teachers should be looking to this project to see where the future of string instrument pedagogy is headed.
Electrify Your Strings -- Mark Wood is an electric rock violinist famous for ‘electrify your strings’ seminars that he puts on for public school students to get them ‘amped up’ about playing stringed instruments.
Urban Stringz II Youth Ensemble -- an organization aimed at providing inner-city students with a setting in which to learn and express themselves musically through the performance of stringed instruments in an ensemble.
Musicians United for Songs In the Classroom -- a non-profit organization that promotes the interdisciplinary use of popular music in education -- includes a directory of over 1,400 songs that can be incorporated into lessons and activities across a range of disciplines.
Eguie Castrillo: Timbale Fundamentals --In this video series, Eguie Castrillo discusses the foundations, both historical and musical, of Afro-Cuban music, as well as techniques for performance in this style.
Mark Walker: An Introduction to Brazilian Samba Drumming -- video on the traditional rhythms and instruments in Samba, the national music of Brazil. Provides playing techniques on the typical instruments used in samba and gives examples on how to convert the patterns for use on drum set.
Steel Pan (Steel Drums)-Information, Tips, and Advice on this Musical Instrument -- Gives historic and practical information on steel drums
J.W. Pepper Sheet Music -- sheet music retailer with an extensive collection of published materials.
Children's Music Web -- lots of resources and links for the music education of younger children.
K-12 Resources for Music Educators -- a great resource for teachers, maintained by a music teacher.