External Links
If you are interested in learning more about music theory, history, and performance, we recommend starting with these resources. Many of the books listed below are readily available for purchase online and may also be available in your local library.
Online Music Academies
Dave Conservatoire
Dave Conservatoire is "a free online music school, aiming to provide a world-class music education for everyone." Modeled on Khan Academy, Dave Conservatoire has videos, exercises, and progress tracking on music basics, reading music, and ear training. The site also offers ABRSM test preparation for grades 1-3 (ABRSM, the exam board of the Royal Schools of Music, is a UK-based organization that provides music assessment in 93 countries).
Khan Academy
Khan Academy offers self-paced learning in many subject areas with videos, exercises, and a "learning dashboard" that tracks your progress, all for free. In music, Khan Academy offers content on music basics, classical masterpieces, and the instruments of the orchestra.
Muted.io
Muted.io is "a magical collection of interactive music theory tools & visual reference pages to learn music online for free." This charming site does not use music notation, but has a variety of interactive keyboards and other tools to illustrate and play with musical concepts. Useful for ear training and seeing/hearing examples on a keyboard.
General Music Resources
Oxford Music Online
Grove is considered the definitive music encyclopedia, and the additional Oxford resources are excellent as well. The website is available by subscription only, but both paper copies and website access are available at many libraries.
Naxos Streaming Music
Naxos is subscription-based service offering high-quality streaming music. Many libraries offer access to Naxos.
Dolmetsch Music Theory and History Online
Naxos Music Genres
Musicology
The Encyclopedia of Music, by Wendy Thompson and Max Wade-Matthews
An excellent introduction to musical instruments and composer biographies; concise, with lots of pictures.
A History of Western Music by J. Peter Burkholder, Donald Jay Grout, and Claude V. Palisca
One of the standard textbooks used in music history courses for undergraduate music majors.
Online Companion to A History of Western Music, 10th Edition
This website is the companion to A History of Western Music listed above. Purchasing a copy of the book also gets you a code to unlock the website. Alternatively, you can purchase access to the website directly.
Music in the Western World: A History in Documents, selected and annotated by Piero Weiss and Richard Taruskin
Source readings in music history.
"Why So Serious?" by Alex Ross
This article from The New Yorker considers the history of the classical concert.
Max Hunter Folk Song Collection at Missouri State University
Lyrics, notation, and audio recordings of American folk songs.
Physics of Sound
Physics of Music and Musical Instruments, Tufts University (PDF)
Music Science at the University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia)
The Physics Classroom: Sound Waves and Music
The Physics Hypertextbook: Music and Noise
Hyperphysics: Sound
Instruments
Naxos Musical Instruments Overview
ChordBook.com
Virtual guitar and chord guide.
Ear Training
Good Ear
Ricci Adams's MusicTheory.net
Teoria
Aural Idiom Drill
The Musical Mind
Big Ears
Aural Skills Guide: Dictation, InTactus, Diktus
Miscellaneous
Majoring in Music
Informational site for high school students considering majoring in music in college and their parents.
Hofstra University School of Law: Music Law Resource Guide
Discussion and links to resources concerning music copyrights and publishing.