Back to music topics

Suggested Search Terms

Musician and Composer Biography

Musician     Composer      Music artist       Songwriter       Singers      Band      Musical group      Lyricist      Recording industry      Musicianship Composition      Performing arts         Music performer

Music History 

Music history     History of music    Music historian     Musicology     Music- history and criticism      Rock music- history

Music Theory and Appreciation

Music     Music composition      Music theory     Music criticism     Music interpretation     Music evaluation     Musical instruments (including specific types of instruments, such as guitars)     Musical Scores     Music theory and composition

You can also search by a musician's or composer's name, or genre of music, such as "jazz," "blues" or "country."

Books and DVDs

Visit our Online Catalog to find printed books and DVDs in the library.

Type in your keywords or pick author or title or subject from the drop-down list, and get a list of titles. Click Availability to see which campus has the item, which collection it is in, and if the item is available for check out. The call number tells you where the item is located on the shelf. 

Databases* (Online Articles, Streaming Video, Online Resources)

Academic OneFile

In addition to using search terms in a keyword search, Academic OneFile lets you search in a way that gives you a good overview of the amount of articles on a certain subject.  For example: click on Subject Guide Search bar and enter Musicians, Music History, or Music Theory as a search term.  Click on the link for Subdivisions to find articles on specific topics within the overall subject.

OmniFile

Access journal articles by entering your keyword(s) into the Search box.  OmniFile also lets you search by subject. Click the Advanced Search link and select SU Subject from the drop-down Select a Field (optional) menu to the right of the search box.

Films on Demand

Find full length streaming video by entering a keyword in the Search box. Under Browse Subjects on the main page you can find the subject Music & Dance.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Enter your terms as a keyword search. 

Ethnographic Video Online

Search this comprehensive collection of videos covering the study of human culture and behavior by keyword(s) or click on Subjects under Browse to find the subject Music.

Pop Culture Universe

Search by keyword for your topic. Under Browse Topics, you can browse by eras.

eBooks*

American Mosaic eBooks

Search eBooks by keyword under Quick Search. Click on Subject Category to find Music & Performing Arts under the category Popular Culture.

eBook Collection (EBSCO)

Search by keyword through a growing collection of books covering a wide range of topics.

Gale Virtual Reference Library

Complete, full-text eBooks covering most topics including subject-specific encyclopedias. Search by keyword, or select Arts from the Subject list. Search within the Arts subject by entering music into the search box.

• Arts and Humanities Through the Eras (2005) Milestones and movements in the arts, literature, music and religion from specific time periods. 

Magazines (can circulate after 2 months)

Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone includes features on musical artists, music reviews, movie reviews, and political stories.

*Databases and eBooks are available only to CAC students, faculty and staff. For this reason, authorized users who are off-campus must log in through Blackboard to access online journal articles and eBooks.  If you are an authorized user and are prompted for a password, please click here to get to Blackboard. In Blackboard, select 'CAC Library Resources,' then select 'All Articles and eBooks.' You should then be able to use the database you would like to access.  The online catalog and the web sites do not require log-in; anyone can use them.