Crane School of Music Celebrates 125 Years of Music Education with Symposium Featuring Lectures & History

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The Crane siblings, clockwise from top left: Harriet Crane Bryant, Allen Jerome Crane, Jessie Crane Moore, Daisy Crane Sisson and founder Julia E. Crane, at the new Crane Normal Institute for Music.

POTSDAM, NY (10/14/2011)(readMedia)-- The Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam is planning a flurry of activities to discuss its 125-year impact on music education and look back on the history of the School next week.

The Crane Music Education Symposium, "Celebrating Our History, Charting Our Future," will take place from Thursday, Oct. 20 to Saturday, Oct. 22, with events both on and off campus.

All events are free, and the public is especially welcome for these special events marking the 125th anniversary of Crane. Students, faculty, alumni and emeriti are invited to join in for this three-day event. To see the full schedule, visit www.potsdam.edu/academics/Crane/125years.

Highlights include:

• Music Technology Enhances Learning at Crane: The Crane School of Music has been at the forefront in music technology for decades. Discover how music technology has been and is being used to enhance student learning, as well as how it might be used in the future! Computer music technology and its effect on learning will be explored through this presentation by Crane faculty members Dr. Peter McCoy and Scott LaVine on Friday, Oct. 21 at 9 a.m. in Ralph Wakefield Recital Hall. An exhibit of computer music technology from decades past will be available in the Crane Music Library through November.
• Concert Tour of Crane Historical Sites: Have you ever wondered what musical life was like in the late 19th century? Step back in time to view the homes of the Crane family, learn their personal stories and to hear the original songs of Harriet Crane Bryant, performed by students of The Crane School of Music. On Friday, Oct. 21, Crane faculty member Dr. Caron Collins will guide you on a historical tour of the childhood and adult homes of Julia E. Crane, the home of her sister Jesse Crane Moore, and other significant landmarks associated with the Crane family. Music has been selected from the handwritten scores found in the Crane archives, as well as a variety of ensemble and solo repertoire. The event will feature transportation in a horse drawn wagon and vans departing from the Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall Lobby at 1:30 p.m. Transportation seating is limited: call Heidi Walker at (315) 267-2812 to reserve your seat.
• International Scholar to Speak at Crane: Dr. Carol Richardson will deliver a keynote address entitled "Imagining 150: Crafting a Vision for the Next 25 years of Music Education at The Crane School of Music" at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 21 in Sara M. Snell Music Theater. She will be introduced by SUNY Potsdam President Dr. John F. Schwaller. Dr. Richardson is an active teacher, scholar, researcher and administrator. She was a faculty member in the School of Music, Theater and Dance at the University of Michigan for 12 years and has most recently served as Dean of the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences at Cal Poly Pomona. She has led student groups to Ghana, West Africa and India. A reception will follow Richardson's address in the Snell Theater Lobby.
• Recent Crane History Revealed: Longtime Crane Dean Ralph Wakefield's book, "A Brief History of The Crane School of Music," provided a historical survey from the founding of the school in 1886 through 1986. Crane faculty members Robyn Hosley and Peter McCoy are currently updating the original history in celebration of Crane's 125th anniversary and will present interesting preliminary findings on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 10 a.m. in Schuette Hall Room A311. Participants will learn about the significant events of the years 1986 to 2011, and will also have the opportunity to share other events and contributions from the past 25 years of Crane's history.
• Julia Crane's Legacy, as Told by Alumni: Are you a "messenger of music"? Witness the musical innovations borne from the tradition of The Crane School of Music, as told by 12 alumni and Dr. Caron Collins, portraying Julia Crane in costume and character. The inspirational stories of these creative alumni will be shared as a sampling from 40 stories found in the new book "Messengers of Music: The Legacy of Julia E. Crane." Come hear the "message that music brings" on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 1:15 p.m. in Thatcher Hall (on the second floor) on the SUNY Potsdam campus. Alumni contributors include Jean MacLeod-O'Leary, Dr. Tamara Reps Freeman, Teresa Smith, Brian Franco, Deirdre Roberts, Dr. Susan Udell, Roger Ames, Jeanne Porcino Dolamore, Jacqueline Thomas-Eustis, Mary Beth Frazier, James Dalton and Frank Hall III. A book signing by the author will be available at the conclusion of the presentation.

For more information about the Crane Music Education Symposium, contact Dr. Peter McCoy at (315) 267-3210. You can also visit the Crane 125th anniversary website at www.potsdam.edu/academics/Crane/125years.

Founded in 1886, SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music has a long legacy of excellence in music education and performance. Life at Crane includes an incredible array of more than 300 recitals, lectures and concerts presented by faculty, students and guests each year. The Crane School of Music is the State University of New York's only All-Steinway institution, and is celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2011.

-www.potsdam.edu/crane-