SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music Ranks in Top 10 Colleges for Music Education in U.S.

POTSDAM, NY (12/10/2014)(readMedia)-- SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music has been ranked among the top 10 colleges for music education in the United States in an article released this week. Music School Central rated The Crane School of Music fourth out of all American universities for excellence in music education.

"The Crane School of Music's inclusion in this top tier of national music education institutions resonates with its long history as a pioneering place for the preparation of music teachers, fostering music education research and innovation, and committed to high musical standards," Crane Dean Dr. Michael Sitton said. "From Julia E. Crane's singular vision for school music, at a time when the field of music education was just coming into existence, and throughout its nearly 130-year history, The Crane School has sustained its tradition of innovation and is proud to continue its national leadership in this field -- a field more critical now than ever, to the experiences and engagement of young people in our nation's schools."

Julia E. Crane established the School that would later bear her name in 1886, as the first program for training public school music teachers in the country. The Crane School of Music was well ahead of its time, transforming the curriculum and thriving on a tradition of innovation.

Music School Central author Bill Zuckerman praised Crane's long history of excellence in music education, and noted that its job placement rate for graduates is nearly 100 percent.

"The Crane School of Music's greatest legacy hinges on the strength of its superior music education department," Zuckerman wrote. "I have personally read that 10 percent of all music educators in the United States are pedagogically related to someone who trained at The Crane School of Music. Considering there are hundreds of thousands of K-12 schools in the U.S. with music programs, that is a compelling and ubiquitous legacy that SUNY Potsdam should take pride in."

To read the whole article and see the full list, visit musicschoolcentral.com/top-10-colleges-music-education-majors-us.

For more information about SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music, please visit www.potsdam.edu/crane.

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.

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