Starting the Research Process - MUS 115 – World Music - SCSU Hilton C. Buley Library at Southern Connecticut State University

Choosing a Topic

In order to do research, you have choose a topic. In this case, you need to pick a:

musician;
musical group;
musical instrument or instrument family; or
musical genre or tradition

from:

a Native American community;
a diasporic or displaced community;
South America;
Southern Europe;
Eastern Europe and Eurasia;
Western and Northern Africa;
Middle, Southern, and Eastern Africa;
Western and Central Asia;
Eastern and Southeastern Asia;
Australia and New Zealand; or
Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia

And not only that, but you also have to narrow it down enough for a 5 minute presentation! You might have a brilliant idea right off the bat, but what if you're overwhelmed, or just don't know enough to choose??

This is where special music reference sources come in! They can quickly give you a good sense of what's out there so you can hone in on something you find interesting. Below are some suggestions.

Oxford Music Online This link opens in a new window
The ultimate music reference!
Oxford Music Online is the gateway offering users the ability to access and cross-search multiple music reference resources in one location. With Grove Music Online as its cornerstone, Oxford Music Online also contains The Oxford Companion to Music (2002), The Oxford Dictionary of Music, 2nd edition (revised 2006), and Encyclopedia of Popular Music, 4th edition (2006).

World Music: A Very Short Introduction by Philip V. Bohlman
Call Number: Main Circulating Stacks / Call Number: ML3470 .B68 2002
Publication Date: 2002-08-29
'World music' emerged as an invention of the West from encounters with other cultures. This book draws readers into a remarkable range of these historical encounters, in which music had the power to evoke the exotic and to give voice to the voiceless. In the course of the volume's eight chapters the reader witnesses music's involvement in the modern world, but also the individual moments and particular histories that are crucial to an understanding of music's diversity. World Music is wide-ranging in its geographical scope, yet individual chapters provide in-depth treatments of selected music cultures and regional music histories. The book frequently zooms in on repertoires and musicians - such as Bob Marley, Bartok, and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - and attempts to account for world music's growing presence and popularity at the beginning of the twenty-first century.
World Music: A Global Journey by Terry E. Miller; Andrew Shahriari
Call Number: Main Circulating Stacks / Call Number: ML3545 .M54 2012
Publication Date: 2012-04-04
Authors Terry E. Miller and Andrew Shahriari take students around the world to experience the diversity of musical expression. World Music: A Global Journey, now in its third edition, is known for its breadth in surveying the world's major cultures in a systematic study of world music within a strong pedagogical framework. As one prepares for any travel, each chapter starts with background preparation, reviewing the historical, cultural, and musical overview of the region. Visits to multiple "sites" within a region provide in-depth studies of varied musical traditions. Music analysis begins with an experimental "first impression" of the music, followed by an "aural analysis" of the sound and prominent musical elements. Finally, students are invited to consider the cultural connections that give the music its meaning and life.
World Music: The Basics by Richard Nidel
Call Number: Main Circulating Stacks / Call Number: ML3545 .N54 2005
Publication Date: 2004-11-23
World Music: The Basics gives a concise introduction to popular musical styles found around the world. Organized alphabetically by region and then by country, it provides essential background information on the cultural and musical history of each area. Styles featured include: Celtic Dijeridou Bossa Nova Reggae Bluegrass Covering key artists and recordings and with guides to further listening, this is the perfect introduction for the student, scholar or general listener.
Dictionary of Popular Music Styles of the World by Douglas White
Call Number: Reference / Call Number: ML102.P66 W47 1998
Publication Date: 1998-01-01
The Extraordinary Book of Native American Lists by Arlene B. Hirschfelder; Paulette Fairbanks Molin
Publication Date: 2012-01-01
This is an extensively researched book on Native American accomplishments. Topics covered include Native American contributions to the performing arts, literature, art, history, sports, politics, education, military service, environmental issues, and many other areas. This book also features lists of Native languages, stereotypes, and myths. In addition, the authors provide a range of resources, links, and websites for readers to learn even more about each topic.
The Garland Handbook of Latin American Music by Dale A. Olsen (Editor); Daniel E. Sheehy (Editor)
Call Number: Reference / Call Number: ML199 .G36 2000
Publication Date: 2000-08-08
Articles originally published in: The Garland encyclopedia of world music. Vol. 2, South America, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. 1998.
The Garland Handbook of African Music by Ruth M. Stone (Editor)
Publication Date: 2008-06-24
The Garland Handbook of African Music is comprised of essays from The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: Volume 1, Africa, (1997). Revised and updated, the essays offer detailed, regional studies of the different musical cultures of Africa and examine the ways in which music helps to define the identity of this particular area. Partnbsp;One provides an in-depth introduction to Africa. Partnbsp;Two focuses on issues and processes, such as notation and oral tradition, dance in communal life, and intellectual property. Partnbsp;Three focuses on the different regions, countries, and cultures of Africa with selected regional case studies. The second edition has been expanded to include exciting new scholarship that has been conducted since the first edition was published. Questions for Critical Thinking at the end of each major section guide and focus attention on what musical and cultural issues arise when one studies the music of Africanbsp;-- issues that might not occur in the study of other musics of the world. An accompanying audio compact disc offers musical examples of some of the music of Africa.
Maori Music by Mervyn McLean
Publication Date: 1997-03-01
This work is a record of ancient Maori musical tradition and knowledge, and an exploration of the impact of European music on this tradition. It draws on diverse written and oral sources, and includes some 1300 recorded songs, interviews with singers and numerous eyewitness accounts.
Music in Pacific Island Cultures: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture by Brian Diettrich; Jane Freeman Moulin; Michael Webb
Call Number: Main Circulating Stacks / Call Number: ML3774 .D54 2011
Publication Date: 2011-11-17
The islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia are steeped in diverse musical traditions that reach far beyond the expanse of the Pacific Ocean. Music in Pacific Island Cultures is the first brief, single-volume text to provide a thematic, succinct introduction to the music of the Pacific Islands--a region of the world that has long been underrepresented in ethnomusicological studies. Based on the authors' extensive fieldwork and experiences in Pacific Island cultures, the text draws on interviews with performers, eyewitness accounts of performances, vivid illustrations, and insights gained from ongoing participation in Pacific music. The authors use four themes--colonialism, belief systems, musical flows, and the re/presentation of Pacific cultures--to survey the region and draw parallels and contrasts between its various musical traditions.

Keywords and Synonyms

Pick out keywords from your question and find synonyms for those keywords. (Use the Search Strategy Builder below to help you! If you've taken INQ 101, it probably looks familiar...)

Then you'll combine your keywords and synonyms into a search string that databases and search engines can understand. (This means using Boolean operators [AND, OR, NOT], putting phrases in quotes, grouping ORs into parentheses... again, the Search Strategy Builder can help you!)

Search Strategy Builder

The Search Strategy Builder is a tool designed to teach you how to create a search string using Boolean logic. While it is not a database and is not designed to input a search, you should be able to cut and paste the results into most databases’ search boxes.

Concept 1

AND

Concept 2

AND

Concept 3

Name your concepts here (Keywords)

Search terms

List alternate terms for each concept.

These can be synonyms, or they can be specific examples of the concept.

Use single words or short phrases. Surrounding the phrases with quotation marks will give better results in some databases and search engines, like Google Scholar. Example: "global warming"

or

or

or

or

Now copy and paste the above Search String into a search box; try SouthernSearch or choose another Database.

The Search Strategy Builder was developed by the University of Arizona Libraries and is used under a Creative Commons License, via Mandy Swygart-Hobaugh at Georgia State.

MUS 115 – World Music

Music Librarian

Choosing a Topic

Asking a Question

Keywords and Synonyms

Search Strategy Builder

Search Strategy Builder