Welcome to the new blog of the UIUC Music Library. We will post information ranging from announcements of new items in the Library, to tips on how to use Library tools, to arts news, and other things that will be of interest to users of the Music Library.

You can subscribe to this blog's feed so you will be notified when new information is posted. Click on the "Subscribe to this blog's feed" link to the right.

If you have questions or comments about anything posted, please don't hesitate to let us know by dropping us an email (musiclib@library.uiuc.edu) or stopping into the Library.

A not-very-well kept secret--we've got the Sibelius music software on two machines in the Music Library. They are on the end near the card catalogs--look for the notices on them that say "this machine has Sibelius." You can use the large scale printer to print larger manuscripts.

Looking for a job in music, dance, or theatre? Start by visiting the College of Fine and Applied Arts Career Services office. They've got job listings, resume guidance, workshops, and more.

The School of Music also maintains a career opportunity list.

If you are a musician looking for a festival to attend this summer, Career Services also has a festival list.

Look for more information on our website in the near future!

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the American Dance Festival, held in Durham, NC. Eiko and Koma, Trisha Brown Dance Company, Pilobolus, and the Paul Taylor Dance Company are just a few of this year's performers. The Festival runs from June 5--July 19 and tickets go on sale May 5.

April is Jazz Appreciation month. Come see the excellent display highlighting just a few of the Library's jazz-related materials. We've got books, scores, CDs, and DVDs of jazz music, documentaries, and performances that you can check out from the Library.

From the NY Times
Examining the Economics of Off Off Broadway
By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON
Published: April 12, 2008
This week the New York Innovative Theater Foundation released what is intended to be the first of several studies of Off Off Broadway economics.

Hoping for a career as a performer? Ever wonder what life is like on the road or on stage? There are myriad examples of performers' blogs that will give you that look behind the scenes. One of my favorites is written by violinist Hilary Hahn. She posts updates as frequently as her schedule allows and outlines the "glamor" of arranging recitals, travel snafus, cranky conductors, and all of the good things too.

(From Playbillarts.com)
Lincoln Center Festival 2008
By Marilyn Stasio
18 Apr 2008

"Bold productions anchor this year's Lincoln Center Festival, which is scheduled to take place July 2–27. This year's lineup includes such names as Ralph Fiennes, Liam Neeson, Alan Cumming and Laurie Anderson."

Several of our music and other databases are available through the same vendor (Ebsco). This means that you can search in more than one of these databases simultaneously.

1. Go to the Online Research Resources page
2. Do a title search in the "all resources" section for one of the databases you want to search (e.g., Music Index).
3. Once you have found the database, click to enter it.
4. Click on the drop-down menu next to the word "in." (It will already display the name of the database you started in.)
5. Check as many database names as you'd like to search at once.

You could search Music Index and ERIC at the same time for education-related items or you could search MLA International Bibliography and the International Bibliography of Theatre and Dance at the same time for theatre-related items.

Want to keep up with what's happening in the arts? The site ArtsJournal can help you do just that. With categories for: issues, dance, ideas, media, music, people, publishing, theatre, visual, and classifieds, there is something for everyone. We've included the links for the dance, music, and theatre categories in the right-hand column of this blog.

From the NYTimes
No Fortissimo? Symphony Told to Keep It Down
By SARAH LYALL
Published: April 20, 2008
A law that requires employers in Europe to limit workers’ exposure to noise has affected the repertories of orchestras.

Want to have access to your files online and be able to see them from any computer? Want to share your data with others (working on a group project)?

GoogleDocs might be the solution for you. GoogleDocs allows you to create documents, spreadsheets, or presentations. You can also upload files from Microsoft Word, Excel, or Powerpoint. You can then organize your documents, and if you wish, share them with other individuals.

The comments feature has been enabled for this blog, so you can now share your comments about individual posts.

Show-Stopping Aria Encored at the Met (NPR) and Ban on Solo Encores at the Met?...(NYT)

In Praise of the Prompter (WSJ)

Did you know that the Music Library has hundreds of DVDs in various genres (not just opera!) that you can check out? All you have to do is take the call number to the circulation desk and ask for the item. Here is just a small sample:

DVD M5 C538 2002 Claudio Arrau: Schumann Piano Concerto, Schumann Carnaval, Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 32

DVD M1060 K378 2005 Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic: Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition

DVD M1630.18 S736 2002 Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette: Standards

DVD M1741.18 L439 2003 Led Zeppelin: Live at the Royal Albert Hall 1970

DVD M1812 K63 R4 Kodo (drummers) Live at the Acropolis

DVD PN1992.8 D6 J646 2002 John and Yoko's Year of Peace

To find these and more DVDs in the library catalog, set limits to "Film/Video" and do an author, title, or keyword search for what you want.

From Macleans.ca
A debate over how to place orchestras' string sections heats up the classical music world
JAIME J. WEINMAN | April 23, 2008

Who says musicians don't need to understand physics?

iTunes turns five
from Wired.com