Recommended Reading, Listening & Websites
Recommended Reading
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Recommended Listening
Recommended Web Sites
Recommended Reading
Infant- Pre-K
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Ainger-Clark, Julie and Nadeem Zaidi. Baby Einstein: Baby Mozart: Music
is Everywhere. Baby Einstein Co., 2004. |
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Weaver, Tess and Andrea Wesson. Opera Cat. Clarion Books,
2002. |
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West, Jim and Marshall Izen. The Dog Who Sang Opera. Harry
N. Abrams, 2004. |
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Grades K-3
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Auch, Mary Jane. The Bantam of the Opera. Holiday House,
Inc., 1997. |
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Clement, Gary. The Great Poochini. Groundwood Books, 1999. |
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Elliott, Donald and Clinton Arrowood. Lambs' Tales From Great Operas.
Harvard Common Press, 1991. |
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Thee, Christian and Robert Levine. Behind the Curtain: Hansel and Gretel:
Your Own Backstage Tour in Look-Through and Pull-Up Panels. Workman
Publishing Company, 1994. |
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Grades 4-8
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Bennett, Roy. Opera. Cambridge University Press, 1995. |
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Ganeri, Anita and Nicola Barber. The Young Person's Guide to the Opera:
With Music from the Great Operas on CD. Harcourt: London, England,
2001. |
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Husain, Shahrukh. The Barefoot Book of Stories from the Opera.
Barefoot Books, 1999. |
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Neidorf, Mary and Daniel Stevens. Operantics with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Sunstone Press, 1999. |
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Siberell, Anne. Bravo! Brava! A Night at the Opera: Behind the Scenes With
Composers, Cast and Crew. Frederica von Stade (Introduction) Oxford
University Press Children's Books, 2001. |
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The Random House Book of Opera Stories (Random House Story
Collections). Random House, 1998. |
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Grades 9-12
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Davis, Peter G., ed. The American Opera Singer. Anchor,
1999. |
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Dobkin, Matt. Getting Opera: A Guide for the Cultured but Confused.
Pocket, 2000. |
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Plotkin, Fred. Opera 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Opera.
Hyperion, 1994. |
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Sadie, Stanley, ed. The Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Opera.
Billboard Books, 2004. |
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College
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Grout, Donald J. A Short History of Opera. Columbia University
Press, 1965. |
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General Reference
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Block, Geoffrey. Enchanted Evenings: The Broadway Musical From Show Boat
to Sondheim. Oxford University Press, 1997.
A musicologist looks at the way music is used as a dramatic tool in some of Broadway's
greatest 20th century musicals. |
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Bordman, Gerald. American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle.
Oxford University Press, 1978.
Still the most comprehensive single volume history of the American stage musical,
covering every Broadway musical from the 1800s onwards. |
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Green, Stanley. Broadway Musicals Show By Show. Milwaukee:
Hal Leonard Books, 1985. ISBN: 0793577500
A show-by-show approach to the history of musical theater, with excellent photos
and the essential statistics. |
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Kirk, Elise K. American Opera. University of Illinois
Press, 2001.
Kirk traces the history of operas by composers born in the United States and longtime
U.S. residents. She takes a chronological approach to opera in the years 1730-2000,
focusing on cultural contexts, historical development, and production aspects, with
basic musical analysis. |
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Osborne, Charles. The Opera Lover's Companion. Yale University
Press, 2004.
This engaging guide to the 175 most popular operas will enhance the experience of
every opera lover. The book consists of entries that set each opera within the context
of its composer's career, outline the plot, discuss the music, and give relevant
background information. |
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Peattie, Antony, ed. The New Kobbe's Opera Book.
Putnam Publishing Group, 1997. This comprehensive opera resource contains information
on composers, performers, and the rich history of opera, from its beginnings in
the Baroque period to modern day. |
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Plotkin, Fred. Opera 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Opera.
Hyperion, 1994. Newcomers to opera receive a fine guide to learning about opera
appreciation. Eleven famous operas are reviewed in a step-by-step listener's guide
which covers the basics of learning about the opera's form, style, and scene challenges. |
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Scherer, Barrymore Laurence. Bravo! A Guide to Opera for the Perplexed.
Plume, 1997.
Witty and informative, this introduction to opera is a fun, fast read. |
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Simon, Henry W. 100 Great Operas and Their Stories. Anchor,
1989.
An invaluable guide for both casual opera fans and afficionados, this volume contains
act-by-act descriptions of operatic works ranging from the early seventeenth century
masterworks of Monteverdi and Purcell to the modern classics of Menotti and Britten.
Written in a lively anecdotal style, entries include character descriptions, historical
background, and much more. |
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Wilmeth, Don B. and Tice L. Miller, editors. Cambridge Guide to American
Theatre. Cambridge University Press, 1993.
A strong single volume reference on the American Theater. |
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Composers and Works
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Alpert, Hollis. The Life and Times of Porgy and Bess: The Story of An American
Classic. Alfred A. Knopf, 1990.
An exhaustive and engrossing history of a masterpiece, with detailed coverage of
all major productions up to 1990. |
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Berger, William. Verdi with a Vengeance: An Energetic Guide to the Life
and Complete Works of the King of Opera. Vintage, 2000.
Written for a wide audience with little background on Verdi, this biography paints
an exciting and eye-opening portrait of the interaction between Verdi and the political
climate of his time. |
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Gossett, Philip, et al. The New Grove Masters of Italian Opera: Rossini,
Donizetti, Bellini, Verdi, Puccini. W. W. Norton & Company,
1997.
For those interested in learning more about the Italian operatic tradition throughout
the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Grove has published a single source
that gives an overview of five major composers. |
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McClary, Susan. Georges Bizet: Carmen (Cambridge Opera Handbooks).
Cambridge University Press, 1992.
Part of the Cambridge Opera Handbooks series, this volume dedicated to Carmen is
an ideal introduction to the opera B with a synopsis, source information, historical
and biographical background, musical examples, and analysis. |
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Osborne, Charles. The Complete Operas of Puccini: A Critical Guide.
DaCapo Press, 1983..
This handy source provides information about all of Puccini' operas B from the lesser
known to the most frequently performed. This overview will help guide the first
time listener and will fill in details of the Puccini canon for the opera buff. |
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Osborne, Charles. The Complete Operas of Verdi. DaCapo
Press, 1991.
This one-volume source contains a listing and background of all the operas B a good
introduction to the Verdi canon for those curious to learn more.
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Senici, Emanuele, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Rossini.
Cambridge University Press, 2004.
One excellent source only recently released in paperback is The Cambridge Companion
to Rossini . This collection of essays begins with an introduction to Rossini's
life and the development of his musical style, and then features information about
all of his major operas, including a chapter devoted to The Barber of Seville
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Solomon, Maynard. Mozart: A Life. Perennial, 1996.
This study plunges into the psychological complexities and co-dependencies of Mozart'
family life, especially the inspiration and frustration caused by the composer'
relationship with his father. |
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Steptoe, Andrew. The Mozart-Da Ponte Operas: The Cultural and Musical Background
to Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Così fan tutte. Oxford
University Press, 1991.
This unique volume considers all three of Mozart's collaborations with librettist
Da Ponte and how they drew upon B and forever changed B the cultural and musical
traditions of their time. Full of musical examples and analysis, this book will
challenge and inform even those already familiar with the operas. |
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For additional recommendations on specific operas, visit Cornerstones |
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Recommended Listening
For Youth
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Pavarotti's Opera Made Easy - My Favorite Opera For Children.
Decca, 1994.
A great compilation of famous arias, duets, and choruses featuring world famous
singers. |
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The Classical Child at the Opera. Classical Child, 2002.
Well-known songs and arias have been selected that appeal to young sensibilities,
while easy-to-follow English translations bring these delightful stories and characters
to life. |
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World's Very Best Opera for Kids ...in English.
Children' Group, 2003.
Another great compilation of arias, duets and ensembles from well-known operas,
selected to appeal to children.
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Mozart's Magic Fantasy: A Journey Through The Magic Flute.
Children's Group, 1995.
This CD takes a look at the classic Mozart opera, The Magic Flute,
making it accessible for children. |
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Who's Afraid of Opera? Kultur Video,
1990.
This package of videotapes, starring Dame Joan Sutherland, presents a series of
opera highlights designed to entertain the entire family. |
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Opera Classics
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Aida, by Giuseppe Verdi
Featuring Montserrat Caballé, Plácido Domingo, Fiorenza Cossotto, and the New Philharmonia
Orchestra, conducted by Ricardo Muti. EMI Classics, 2001.
Featuring Maria Dragoni, Kristjan Johannsson, Barbara Dever, Mark Rucker and the
National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, conducted by Rico Saccani. Naxos, 1995. |
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The Ballad of Baby Doe, by Douglas Moore
Featuring Beverly Sills, Walter Cassel, and the New York City Opera Orchestra, conducted
by Emerson Buckley. Deutsche Grammophon, 1999. |
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Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville), by Gioacchino
Rossini
Featuring Agnes Baltsa, Francisco Araiza, Thomas Allen, and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields
orchestra, conducted by Sir Neville Marriner. Decca, 2002.
Featuring Roberto Servile, Sonia Ganassi, Ramon Vargas, Angelo Romero, and the Failoni
Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Will Humburg. Naxos, 1994. |
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La bohème, by Giacomo Puccini
Featuring Luciano Pavarotti, Mirella Freni, Elizabeth Harwood, and the Berlin Philharmonic,
conducted by Herbert von Karajan. Decca, 1990.
Featuring Stanislav Benacka, Carmen Gonzales, Ladislav Hallon, Richard Novak,
Luba Orgonasova, and the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Will Humburg.
Naxos, 1994.
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Candide, by Leonard Bernstein
Original cast recording, featuring Barbara Cook, Robert Rounseville, and Irra Pettina.
Sony, 2003. |
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Carmen, by Georges Bizet
Featuring José van Dam, Tatiana Troyanos, Plácido Domingo, Kiri Te Kanawa, and the
London Philharmonic, conducted by Sir Georg Solti. Decca, 1990.
Featuring Graciela Alperyn, Giorgio Lamberti, Ann Liebeck, Doina Palade, Danilo
Rigosa, Dalia Schaechter, Alan Titus, and the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted
by Alexander Rahbari Naxos, 1994. |
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Così fan tutte, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Featuring Renée Fleming, Anne-Sofie von Otter, Frank Lopardo, Michele Pertusi, and
the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, conducted by Sir Georg Solti. Decca, 1996.
Featuring Joanna Borowska, Priti Coles, John Dickie, Andrea Martin, and Capella
Istropolitana, conducted by Johannes Wildner. Naxos, 1994. |
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Don Giovanni, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Featuring Renée Fleming, Bryn Terfel, Monica Groop, Herbert Lippert, and the London
Philharmonic, conducted by Sir Georg Solti. Decca, 1997 .
Featuring Salvatore Baccaloni, John Brownlee, David Franklin, Luise Helletsgruber,
and the Glyndebourne Festival Orchestra, conducted by Fritz Busch. Naxos, 2001.
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Faust, by Charles Gounod
Featuring Plácido Domingo, Mirella Freni, Nicolai Ghiaurov, and Orchestre de l'Opera
de Paris, conducted by Georges Pretre. EMI Classics, 1990.
Featuring Roger Bourdin, Georges Nore, Roger Rico, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra,
conducted by Thomas Beecham. Naxos.
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Die Fledermaus, by Johann Strauss
Featuring Leontyne Price, Dame Joan Sutherland, Ettore Bastianini, Teresa Berganza,
and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Herbert von Karajan. Polygram
Records, 1990.
Featuring John Dickie, Gabriele Fontana, Josef Hopferwieser, Brigitte Karwautz,
Andrea Martin, and the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Johannes Wildner.
Naxos, 1994. |
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Lucia di Lammermoor, by Gaetano Donizetti
Featuring Beverly Sills, Carlos Bergonzi, Piero Cappuccilli, and the London Symphony
Orchestra, conducted by Thomas Schippers. Deutsche Grammophon, 2002. |
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Madama Butterfly, by Giacomo Puccini
Featuring Luciano Pavarotti, Mirella Freni, Christa Ludwig, and the Vienna Philharmonic,
conducted by Herbert von Karajan. Decca, 1990.
Featuring Fredrika Brillemburg, Uwe Eikotter, Andreas Haller, Svetlana Katchour,
and the Bremen State Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Gunter Neuhold. Naxos,
2002. |
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Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute), by Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart
Featuring Fritz Wunderlich, Evelyn Lear, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Roberta Peters,
Franz Crass, and the Berlin Philharmonic, conducted by Karl Bohm. Deutsche Grammophon,
1997.
Featuring Wilfried Gahmlich, Hellen Kwon, Lotte Leitner, Herbert Lippert, and the
Failoni Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Michael Halasz. Naxos, 1994. |
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Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), by Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart
Featuring Kiri Te Kanawa, Lucia Popp, Frederica von Stade, Samuel Ramey, and the
London Philharmonic, conducted by Sir Georg Solti. Decca, 1984.
Featuring Norman Allin , Luise Helletsgruber , Roy Henderson , Audrey Mildmay ,
and the Glyndebourne Festival Orchestra, conducted by Fritz Busch. Naxos, 2002. |
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Porgy and Bess, by George Gershwin
Featuring Willard White, Harolyn Blackwell, Cynthia Haymon, Gregg Baker, and the
London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. EMI Classics, 1997. |
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Rigoletto, by Giuseppe Verdi
Featuring Sherrill Milnes, Dame Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, and the London
Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Richard Bonynge. Decca, 1990.
Featuring Alzbeta Michalkova , Yordy Ramiro , Jozef Spacek , Eduard Tumagian , and
the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Alexander Rahbari. Naxos, 1994. |
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Der Rosenkavalier, by Richard Strauss
Featuring Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Christa Ludwig, Teresa Stich-Randall,and The Philharmonia
Orchestra, conducted by Herbert von Karajan. EMI Classics, 2001.
Featuring Lotte Lehman, Maria Olszewska, Elisabeth Schumann, Richard Mayr, and the
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Robert Heger. Naxos, 2002. |
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Susannah, by Carlisle Floyd
Featuring Cheryl Struder, Samuel Ramey, Jerry Hadley, and the Orchestra de L'Opera
de Lyon, conducted by Kent Nagano. Virgin Classics, 1994. |
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The Tender Land, by Aaron Copland
Featuring James Bohn, LeRoy Lehr, and the Plymouth Music Series Orchestra, conducted
by Philip Brunelle. Virgin Records, 1992. |
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Tosca, by Giacomo Puccini
Featuring Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Tito Gobbi and Orchestre e coro del
Teatro alla Scala, conducted by Victor de Sabata. EMI Classics, 1997.
Featuring Nelly Miricioiu, Giorgio Lamberti, Silvano Carolli, and the Slovak Radio
Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Michael Rahbari. Naxos, 1994. |
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La traviata, by Giuseppe Verdi
Featuring Ileana Cotrubas, Plácido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes, and the Munich Bavarian
State Orchestra, conducted by Carlos Kleiber. Deutsche Grammophon, 1990.
Featuring Monika Krause, Yordy Ramiro, Georg Tichy, and the Slovak Radio Symphony
Orchestra, conducted by Michael Rahbari. Naxos, 1994. |
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Il trovatore (The Troubador), by Giuseppe Verdi
Featuring Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Rolando Panerai, and the Orchestra
del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, conducted by Herbert von Karajan. EMI Classics,
2004.
Featuring Maurizio Frusoni, Daniela Longhi, Irina Tschistiakova and Hungarian State
Opera Orchestra, conducted by Will Humburg. Naxos, 1996.
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Turandot, by Giacomo Puccini
Featuring Brigit Nilsson, Franco Correlli, Renata Scotto, and the Rome Opera Theater
Orchestra, conducted by Francesco Molinari-Pradelli. EMI Classics, 1990.
Featuring Giovanna Casolla, Lando Bartolini, Masako Deguci, and the Malaga Philharmonic
Orchestra, conducted by Alexander Rahbari. Naxos, 2003. |
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Vanessa, by Samuel Barber
Featuring Eleanor Steber, Rosalind Elias, Nicolai Gedda, and the Metropolitan Opera
Chorus and Orchestra, conducted by Dmitri Mitropoulos. RCA, 1990.
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Recommended Web Sites
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Americans for the
Arts
This national organization focuses on building awareness for the arts and advocacy
efforts.
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Arts and Learning Resources for State Leaders
This site is designed to help arts education leaders and practitioners locate resources
relevant to their work. It offers links to a multitude of arts and education groups,
to national grant guidelines, and to the latest research reports in the field.
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Arts Education Partnership
The Arts Education Partnership is a private, nonprofit coalition of education, arts,
business, philanthropic, and government organizations that demonstrates and promotes
the essential role of arts education in enabling all students to succeed in school,
life, and work.
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Arts Journal
Online
An online record of recent articles about the arts from a variety of resources.
Includes a section devoted to education
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ARTSEDGE
Helps teachers and students share and gain access to information resources and ideas
that support arts as a core subject area in the K-12 curriculum. Sponsored by the
Kennedy Center .
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The Gateway
A Department of Education site with many resources. Plus, it connects visitors to
over 140 other education sites.
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Great
American Voices
This national initiative sponsored by the NEA will bring opera performances to 39
military bases across the country. Their web site provides basic information about
opera, as well as excerpts from an audio commentary CD featuring Denyce Graves.
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Lesson Plans Page
Music lesson plans for all grades and subject areas.
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Metropolitan Opera
Broadcast Information Center
Visit this site to learn more about upcoming broadcasts, and to find in-depth information
on featured operas.
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Metropolitan
Opera Guild
A wealth of materials, including a link to Opera News.
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National Arts Centre
Canadian site for classical music that includes pdf documents from musical scavenger
hunt, study guides about select composers, and much more.
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National Association
for Music Educators
Homepage for the national service organization for music educators. Contains information
about networking, advocacy, research studies and study guides.
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National Center
for Education Statistics
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Opera
Europa
Information on the opera field in Europe.
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Opera Mania
General information on opera in English and Spanish, including a selected discography.
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Operapaedia
This online resource, developed by San Diego Opera, features lesson plans and information
on operas featured in their current and past seasons, as well as general opera information.
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Opera Volunteers
International
A nonprofit association of more than one hundred opera guilds and other opera volunteer
organizations, as well as opera volunteer coordinators who work for opera companies,
and hundreds of individual members.
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PBS Teachersource
Music lesson plans for all grade levels, some of which incorporate programs shown
on PBS.
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Playmusic.org
This kid-friendly site, developed by the American Symphony Orchestra League offers
information about musical instruments, and composing, as well as games and fun activities
for kids.
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San Diego Opera
The Operation: Opera pages contain a discography and Operapædia.
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San Francisco Opera
Resources on the history of opera and more.
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Supportmusic.com
This site focuses on developing effective advocacy for music education in schools.
Their toolkits may be useful to parents and teachers who are working to bring more
music to their child's school.
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Teach Opera
This Web site, featuring opera lesson plans created by classroom teachers, is maintained
by New York City Opera.
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Teacher Vision
Quizzes, links and on-line lesson plans for music-related subjects (Music history,
Music In Our Schools Month, National Standards, Jazz, Classroom Management, etc)
and interdisciplinary lessons.
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Teaching ESL through Music
An excellent website relating music to all aspects of English as a Second Language
and literacy instruction including lesson plans listed by curricular objective,
materials to download and order, and articles devoted to advocacy.
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U.S. Department of Education
Get the latest information on available grants, and education policy.
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Young Audiences
Arts for Learning
This national project highlights different ways that teachers can use the arts in
their classroom using examples drawn from all artistic disciplines.
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This listing was compiled by Chris McCoy and Andrea Johnson
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