Streamed Music from Music Online: Classical Music Library

The Whittaker Library subscribes to two of the top music streaming services for classical music - Music Online: Classical Music Library (produced by Alexander Street Press), and the Naxos Music Library.  They're a bit like Spotify, but our registered staff and students don't have to pay a subscription, and there are no adverts!  Add to that the useful background information about the music, and you've got a very useful resource.

Here are some useful podcasts about Music Online: Classical Music Library

• Using the Audio Player podcast  on YouTube, by Alexander Street Press
• Searching for material in music and the performing arts podcast on YouTube by Alexander Street Press
• Creating custom playlists podcast on YouTube by Alexander Street Press
• Tutorials on YouTube by Alexander Street Press

Now try a search for yourself - go to Music Online: Classical Music Library.  In the search box at the top, type Holst Planets, and hit return. Click on the first item.  See what kind of information appears down the white, left-hand panel.  Note that when you hover your mouse over the Planets title hyperlink, you get further factual info about when the piece was written etc.  However, you don't get a full programme note.

Bit of a techno geek? MEGA BIG Funding Opportunity

An opportunity for students to receive £5K of funding to develop technology ideas over the summer.

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/student-innovation

Training for Music Library Staff

We're putting together a useful collection of quick training links so that we can all familiarise ourselves with the best of our electronic resources.  The collection will be on the Library pages of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland's Mahara site, so all staff and students in the RCS community can access them.

Here's a preview of the first:- British Library Sounds

British Library Sounds is a collection of archival sound recordings.  Case-studies offer quick podcasts about different aspects of the collection.  Try Emily Worthington, a music researcher, or Paul Long on jazz. Other podcasts desribe working on accents and dialects.  Click here then choose an enthusiast!

Example of recent query: Enquirer wanted to know about an early record label.  British Library Sounds had several podcasts by an expert in recording history.

FYI: Podcast of a visit to the British LIbrary Sound Archive

Union? Scottish Independence?

No, Whittaker is not entering the debate!  Just sharing with you some historical facts about the Union in 1707, thanks to the National Library of Scotland Rare Books blog!

"Documenting the Union of Parliaments

"The Treaty of Union united the Scottish and English Parliaments in 1707. Pamphlets, poems and proclamations show it was welcomed by some and loathed by others, as this essay explains."  Click here

History of Early Recorded Sound: Emile Berliner

There's a fascinating talk about one of the earliest record producers, back in the 19th century - Emile Berliner.

You'll find it on the British Library Sounds website, and the expert talking about Berliner is Peter Adamson from St Andrews.  (Once you've heard the first podcast, there are more to pursue if you're interested.) 

This recording requires you to use your academic login.

E Books R Us

"Where are the e-books?"

We have thousands of real books and music scores, but our catalogue also lists our e-books.  There's always a hyperlink for our registered students and staff members to access the electronic item.

If you get as far as the catalogue, and something is identified as an e-book, just click on the link.  If you're uncertain how to proceed, just ask us. (It's digital - you won't find it on the shelves!)

Whittaker Library Catalogue

Sound and Moving Images from the British Library

 Sound and Vision Blog

You can do imaginative things with sound and moving images from the British Library Sounds website!  To get some inspiration, how about reading their blog?  They don't limit their ideas to the British Library resource, either. Here's the latest posting - suggesting a clever way of using Flickr.  Brilliant!

"Next up in our Inspired by Flickr series are two compositions from filmaker and sound artist Chris Lynn. The brief was to create a short sound piece inspired by one of the fabulous 1 million images released by the British Library last year onto Flickr Commons. The first image to catch Lynn's eye (and inspire his ears) was a 17th painting of Native Americans taken from William Strachey's 'Travels through Virginia'. The coloured engraving, entitled 'Their Sitting at Meate', called for a more faithful approach when creating the aural setting. Lynn wrote:
"I felt the Native American scene required just a simple field recording of waves gently breaking on the shore  [...] - See more at: http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/sound-and-vision/index.html#sthash.OGH15Rzv.dpuf "

Find Folk at the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library

The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library is run by EFDSS - the English Folk Dance and Song Society.  However, please don't dismiss it as purely a source of English traditional song and dance materials.  There's Scottish stuff too, and also valuable historical material.

Karen got very excited when she discovered just how much is there to be found. Do take a look! The catalogue is online, so it's easy enough to put in a few keywords and check out what's there.

http://www.vwml.org/

The Guardian Film Show Review

Karen has just come across this useful link from the Guardian - specially for the film buffs amongst us, here is the regular Guardian Film Show column.  Why not save it to your favourites?

http://www.theguardian.com/film/series/guardian-film-show 

 

Background:

"About this series: In our weekly film video show, Xan Brooks, Peter Bradshaw and Catherine Shoard review the latest big releases, we speak to the film-makers and stars of the moment … and much more"

TV Adverts - What's that tune?

"Whittaker" was curious about the piano music played on a television advert the other day.  A quick Twitter enquiry got a rapid response from another music librarian.

The website you need for such questions, is TV Ad Music

http://www.tvadmusic.co.uk/

A good link to save to your favourites!

Storytelling - Christina Stewart at Tradfest, Edinburgh

The Whittaker Library has heard about an intriguing session at Tradfest next week.  If you're in Edinburgh, why not see if you can fit in an evening at the Scottish Storytelling Centre?

Christina Stewart at Tradfest

Haunting--Songs,Tales, Tradition

Scottish Storytelling Centre, Royal Mile, Edinburgh

Sunday 4th May, 7.30 PM

Tickets £8/£6

0131 556 9579

http://www.tracscotland.org/festivals/tradfest

Social Networking for Researchers

You'll know about LinkedIn.

Have you heard of Academia.edu and ResearchGate?  Both are more focused on research, and less on employment opportunities, compared to LinkedIn.  They're websites where you can profile your own research, list your publications, or just find like-minded researchers to discuss common interests.

https://www.researchgate.net/home.Home.html

For example, if you were a music teacher, you might have found these discussions interesting - they all came up today:-

https://www.academia.edu/

Click on the link to Academia.edu above, and enter a keyword connected with your research into the box at the top of the page.  This is just a screenshot:- 

Old Irish Music - Edward Bunting's volumes at the British Library

We came across an article by Karen Loomis about Edward Bunting's own volumes of Irish music, annotated by him, and now in the British Library. Worth a look - here is the link to the article by Karen Loomis:-

• Edward Bunting’s Annotated Volumes of Irish Music: An Overlooked Treasure at the British Library / Karen Loomis 15 April, 2010
• British Library shelfmark - BL Add.41508 (Bunting's annotated copy of his first two volumes of Irish harp music)

What next? A Music PhD?

In between finishing off assignments and revising for exams, music finalists may wonder what they'll do after graduation.  

There's a database listing what music postgraduates are currently researching, which might inspire or guide you: the RMA Register of Research Students' Dissertation Topics(UK and Ireland):-

http://www.rma.ac.uk/register/register.asp 

There are various other places you can look, to find out what has been, or is being researched.   Many are freely available, for example you can find completed doctoral theses that are in university libraries by checking www.copac.ac.uk.

Try also:-

• JSTOR (if you're a student or staff at a UK Higher Education establishment, you'll be able to access this by their library subscription - this is the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland database page)
• RILM Abstracts of Music Literature
• ZETOC 
• Academia.edu
• ResearchGate

Clearing the Mind - Fresh Air and Natural Light, advises James Clear

James Clear is an entrepreneur who advises on productivity, good working practices and positive mental attitudes.  His newsletters are informative.

Today, he writes about where we find inspiration, overcome mental blocks, or indeed both,  Here's an excerpt which will make you want to head for wide open spaces or inspirational buildings with plenty of natural light:-

The Link Between Brains and Buildings

"Researchers have discovered a variety of ways that the buildings we live, work, and play in drive our behavior and our actions. The way we react and respond is often tied to the environment that we find ourselves in.

"For example, it has long been known that schools with more natural light provide a better learning environment for students and test scores often go up as a result. (Natural light and natural air are known to stimulate productivity in the workplace as well.)

"Additionally, buildings with natural elements built into them help reduce stress and calm us down (think of trees inside a mall or a garden in a lobby). Spaces with high ceilings and large rooms promote more expansive and creative thinking."

 
If you'd like to read more, here's the link:-  http://jamesclear.com/jonas-salk   And the article itself is entitled,  Want to Stick to Good Habits and Break Your Bad Ones? Try This.
  
Homepage: JamesClear.com