Then the ENJOYMENT OF MUSIC program takes us from the Middle Ages, through Bach and Beethoven, to rock ‘n’ roll, with music from each era. You can study any period you like, or go methodically through the whole history of music, however it pleases you.

http://www.wwnorton.com/college/music/enj9/shorter/index.htm

     In KEEPING SCORE: MTT ON MUSIC, we go into the mind of Tchaikovsky. They say, “[San Francisco Symphony] Conductor Michael Tilson Thomas takes viewers on a guided tour of one of the towering achievements in classical music, Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4.”

     This is a timid site. It doesn’t blast you with Tchaikovsky the moment you enter. I found that I had to search out the beginning point. Click on “Multimedia Presentation,” over to your left, and then keep clicking on the parts you want to hear. What emerges is a fascinating glimpse of Tchaikovsky’s mind as he composes his Fourth Symphony.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/shows/tchaikovsky4/index.html

     THE REVOLUTION IN MUSIC: Michael Tilson Thomas tells us how “a few inflammatory notes from the minds of Beethoven, Stravinsky, and Copland changed music forever.”

http://www.keepingscore.org/

INSIDE THE MIND OF A 14-YEAR-OLD COMPOSER

     “If you follow only one link from this blog in your life, let it be [this one],” wrote Freakonomics author Steven Levitt, pointing his readers toward this performance by pianist and composer Jennifer Lin. “Lin, then 14, starts by playing Joseph Hoffman's ‘Kaleidoscope,’ then Robert Schumann's ‘Abegg Variations.’ She talks about the process of composition and discusses the state of flow, when she can improvise beautiful music instantly -- a state of mind that cannot be forced. Lin invites audience member Goldie Hawn to choose a random sequence of notes, from which she improvises a beautiful and surprisingly moving piece, known to draw tears even via podcast. She finishes with a lightning performance of Jack Fina's ‘Bumble Boogie.’”

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/46