Organizational History
In 1857 the San Francisco Board of Education established Minns' Evening Normal School for current and prospective teachers in the city. Named after its principal, George W. Minns, the institution was formally established as the first California State Normal School by the State Legislature in 1862. A decade later, the Legislature voted to move the Normal School to San José, and the school relocated to its new home on Washington Square prior to the fall term of 1872. After a fire destroyed the Normal School building in 1880, the Legislature authorized $200,000 to construct a new building on the same site. Completed in 1881, the building was commonly referred to as the Second State Normal School. After several names and curriculum changes, Minns' Normal School is now San José State University, offering more than 134 bachelor's and master's degrees with 110 concentrations, and is recognized as one of the top public universities granting such degrees in the West.
The San José State Normal School conducted its first musical session in 1871. In 1884, the music program evolved into a four-year course of study. In 1915, the music program was departmentalized and seventeen courses were offered. In 1922, violin and "other orchestral instruments" were added to instrumental instruction. In 1926, the marching band was formed. In 1947-48, the Music Department began offering Graduate course work. In 1948, four B. A. degrees in Professional Music were added: Theory and Composition, History and Musicology, Performance, and Conducting. In 1949-50, the Music Department created a training band for the Symphonic Band called the Varsity Band. In 1951, there were 10 separate musical ensembles at San José State University, which included the Varsity Band, Marching Band, Choral Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Symphony Orchestra, A Cappella Choir, Piano Ensemble, Brass Choir, String Ensemble, and Woodwind Ensemble.
Since the 1950s, the School of Music has prepared professional performers, composers, and music educators for careers in music and the arts. Today, San José State University's applied studio faculty includes some of the nation's most gifted artists, ranging from Metropolitan Opera stars to some of the leading musicians in major Bay Area symphonies. The Jazz Studies program hosts some of Northern California's leading jazz musicians. An award-winning Composition program is led by some of today's most respected composers, and many award-winning SJSU performing ensembles are directed by some of California's preeminent conductors.
From the guide to the San José State University Music Department Collection, 1925-1989, 1940-1970, (San José State University. Library.)
