Resources for Educators - Music, Architecture and Clothing / Fashion

The principals of the San Francisco Unified School District recently visited the San Francisco Public Library to learn about supplemental resources for classroom learning for grades kindergarten through high school.

We presented the following titles to the principals as ‘hooks’ for social studies and history classes based on the premise that students can be engaged by how others live –- from the music they listen to, the clothing they wear, to their homes and the world around them. For this reason, the titles are divided into the sections: Music, Architecture, and Clothing / Fashion.

Music

Alexander Street Press streaming music databases:

This resource includes “African American Song”; “American Song”; “Classical Music Library”; “Contemporary World Music”; and “Smithsonian Global Sound for Libraries.”

American Musical Traditions, edited by Jeff Todd Titon, Bob Carlin (Schirmer Reference, 2002). 5 volumes.

Includes volumes on Native American music, African American music, British Isles music, European American music, and a final volume on Latino American and Asian American music. In addition to chapters by folklorists, this set features material from the Smithsonian Institution’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. Each volume includes a bibliography, discography and a glossary.

Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World, edited by John Shepherd et al. (Continuum, 2003-2005)

This set provides a look at popular music of every style in every region of the world.

Oxford Music Online database:

This resource contains the full text of the The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (29 volumes), edited by Stanley Sadie (Grove, 2001), The Oxford Dictionary of Music by Michael Kennedy (Oxford University Press, 2006), and The Oxford Companion to Music, edited by Alison Latham (Oxford University Press, 2002). This database covers terminology, individual musicians, genres, and music history by geographic region.


Architecture

Architecture of the California Missions by Kurt Baer (University of California Press, 1958).

Includes descriptive text plus black and white photographs.

California Missions: Measured Drawings by the Historic American Building Survey (Learning Windows Publications, 1999).

Consists of architectural drawings (often including ornamental detail) of all the California Missions.

Encyclopedia of Vernacular Architecture of the World, edited by Paul Oliver (Cambridge University Press, 1997). 3 volumes.

Explores how people construct, decorate and live in their homes. Volumes 2 and 3 are organized by geographic region.

The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Homes through American History, Thomas W. Paradis, general editor (Greenwood Press, 2008).

A chronological approach to U.S. domestic architecture.

History of World Architecture (New York : Electa/Rizzoli).

This 15 volumes series contains titles such as: Ancient Architecture; Pre-Columbian Architecture of Mesoamerica; Islamic Architecture; Renaissance Architecture.

The Seventy Wonders of the Ancient World: The Great Monuments and How They Were Built, edited by Chris Scarre (Thames & Hudson, 1999).

A survey of the ancient wonders of the world, “memorials of power” from ancient Egypt to Angkor Wat and the Great Wall of China.

The Seventy Wonders of the Modern World: 1500 Years of Extraordinary Feats of Engineering and Construction, edited by Neil Parkyn (Thames & Hudson, 2002).

Presents seventy great monumental works of architecture from around world since the sixth century.


Clothing / Fashion

Encyclopedia of Hair: A Cultural History by Victoria Sherrow. (Greenwood Press, 2006).

Covers hair in all its possibilities, from its history and customs to haircare, celebrity hair, tools and products for hair, and stylings.

Fashions of a Decade, series editor, Kathy Elgin (Chelsea House, 2007). 8 volumes.

Eight volumes covering western dress from the 1920s-1990s, including ties to popular culture such as film and music.

The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Clothing Through World History, edited by Jill Condra (Greenwood Press, 2008). 3 volumes.

A chronological and cultural survey of costume history.

The Worldwide History of Dress: With Over 1000 Illustrations, 900 in Color, by Patricia Rieff Anawalt (Thames & Hudson, 2007).

A visually-rich resource for non-western dress. Includes information on how spiritual and cultural practices, regional terrain and climate, and migration affect cultural dress.