LibGuides: Music &amp; Gender Diversity: Home

Use these general resources and searching suggestions to get started in your research!

Using the Library Catalog

Books about gender in music: ML 82.

Reference sources about women composers and their works: ML 128 .W7.

Useful Obis subject headings:

- "Gender identity in music"

- "Homosexuality and music"

- "Sex in music"

- "Feminism in music"

- "Women's music"

- "Music by women composers"

- "Music by African American women composers"

- "Women in music"

- "Women musicians"

- "Women jazz musicians"

- "Women jazz singers"

Websites to Explore

Alliance for Women Film Composers
A community of composers and colleagues who strive to support and celebrate the work of women composers through advocacy and education.
Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice
The Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice focuses on equity in the jazz field and the role that jazz plays in the larger struggle for gender justice. The institute celebrates the contributions women have made in the development of the art form as well as frame more equitable conditions for all pursuing careers in jazz in an effort to work toward a necessary and lasting cultural shift in the field.
DONNE: Women in Music
Learn stories of so many neglected women composers. Contains live interviews with women composers making their mark in the music world.
Earhart
A place that celebrates femme, trans, & gnc artists. A place where gender means whatever you want it to mean. A place where friends help friends by playlisting each other’s work.
female:pressure
A curated image-based collection of women+ & non-binary, trans artists in music production & performing arts in their working environment with in their own process, in relation to technology, a political effort. female:pressure is an international network for women+ trans and non-binary artists in the fields of electronic music and digital arts with over 2200 artists from 75 countries founded in 1998 by Electric Indigo.
No Broken Links
The No Broken Links directories are a starting point for scholars, performers, composers, and teachers to discover solo and chamber repertoire by minority composers for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone, and horn. The directories focus specifically on the work of womxn, transgender & gender non-conforming individuals, and/or Black, Indigenous, or persons of color.
Women’s Philharmonic Advocacy
We celebrate the vast range of orchestral music by women, and encourage orchestras to program it! All around us people are suddenly aware of long-ingrained sexist practices, and questioning their entrenched status. We work to reveal the centuries of music by women, much of it lost to history due to gender bias – and help provide information and resources to make that music available.

Helpful Databases

Composer Diversity Database
This award-winning Composer Diversity Database allows users to discover over 4000 composers of historically underrepresented genders, racial, ethnic, and cultural heritages, and sexual orientations. You can search by composer name, living or deceased, common large and small ensemble genres, racial, ethnic, or cultural demographics, and by location (city, state, and country).
The Kapralova Society: Women in Music
An affiliate member of the International Alliance for Women in Music, the Society's mission is to promote interest in Kapralova and other women in music through scholarly research, education, and special projects, often in partnership with schools of music, public broadcasters, publishing houses, and other organizations.
Kassia Database: The Women's Art Song Database
The Kassia Database is a resource geared toward aiding singers, instructors of voice, pianists, researchers, and music lovers to discover and celebrate art song by women composers. The database includes songs from the Baroque period through the 21st century, and have been categorized by level, voice type, language, composer, and composer dates
Many Many Women
An index of over 1000 composers, improvisers, and sonic artists.
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The following is a note about inclusivity from Megan Mitchell, organizer of the Many Many Women index: "The English language presents a barrier to expression for our trans brothers and sisters and non-binary friends. There is unfortunately (to my knowledge, at this time), no succinct, clean way of saying that this index is for any group of individuals who have been marginalized and oppressed by the patriarchal norms of our society. By choosing to use the term “women” to describe the members of this index, I understand that it reinforces the binary “other,” and may alienate individuals whose work has not been given proper attention due to their gender identity or perceived gender. Please know that artists whose work fall under the scope of this index are welcome here as long as they are not cis men."
Music Theory Examples by Women
This is a database of excerpts and complete musical compositions by women composers. The music is categorized by theoretical concept for use in music education.
Women Composers by Time Period
Compiled by Grove Music Online. This database includes biographical entries on women composers throughout history.
Check out the "Works by Women in Con Library" tab of this guide to find music by these composers that the library already owns.