The Tygerberg Children's Choir (TCC) is rooted in South Africa's Afrikaner culture. Its transition to a multicultural children's choir, within a drastically changed political dispensation, furnished a rich subject for a historiographic choir identity investigation. From its establishment in 1972 until 2019, Hendrik D. Loock was the conductor.…

Pasquale "Pat" Ciricillo (1907-1978) was a twentieth-century musician-teacher who incorporated multiple musical approaches in his work. Born to an Italian family in Cleveland, Ohio, Ciricillo's affinity for wide-ranging musicianship afforded him a storied career as a professional trumpet player in New York City. His success as a jazz,…

Zadok Adolu-Otojoka (b. 1932) is one of the prominent music educators and professional performers in the recent history of arts education in East Africa. A Ugandan by nationality, Adolu-Otojoka has served in different professional capacities as music educator, opera singer, folk musician, dancer, composer, and education/culture administrator, at…

The purpose of this historical investigation was to contribute to the growing body of knowledge about women in music education by means of documenting the life and career of Genevieve F. Hargiss (1912-1995), a lesser known yet exemplary twentieth-century music educator. Through the investigation of primary source materials including Hargiss's…

The history of female piano teachers, especially those working with children, remains largely unstudied. Estelle Philleo (1880-1936) is one example from the early 20th century who specialized in group lessons for beginners. A New Woman who never married, she began as a junior piano teacher at the Michigan Female Seminary before graduating in 1902.…

The purpose of this study is to explore the life and work of Pierre Sancan (1916-2008), an exemplary piano teacher who, like many masters in the apprenticeship tradition, is chiefly remembered today by his pupils alone. An all-round musician, Sancan had early success as a composer when he won the Prix de Rome in 1943, and enjoyed a flourishing…

The purpose of this article is to chronicle the life and contributions of Mary Frances Early (b. 1936), the first African American to graduate from the University of Georgia in 1962. After suffering many indignities and being forgotten for more than three decades, Early became one of the University's most celebrated graduates. Teaching music in…

Music teachers are central to the effective implementation of the school curriculum; however, researchers know little about their careers in music education. In order to understand the work of music teachers, researchers must document experiences of those educators who may appear ordinary but who led extraordinary lives and careers. The purpose of…

The purpose of this study was to examine the life and work of Frank William Westhoff (1863-1938), a leader in music education during the progressive era (circa 1890s-1950s). Research questions focused on his work as a music supervisor, teacher educator, pedagogue, and textbook author. I also explored Westhoff's contributions to the profession and…

This historical investigation explores the life of George N. Heller (1941-2004) and his influence on historical research in music education and music therapy. By means of primary source materials, including preserved presentation resources and outlines, publications, and interviews, this historical investigation explores Heller's life and career…

Music played little part in the education of British children before 1853 when Edward Thring was appointed headmaster of Uppingham Grammar School in the English Midlands. Thring created an innovative holistic curriculum for the two dozen boys of this rural boarding school and he appointed a musician as the third addition to his staff to form a…

Music competitions have an ancient history dating back some two thousand years. In the United States, early music contests mimicked the German Saengerfests and Welsh Eistoddfods; however, some of the earliest continuously running music competitions held in America are the state contests for secondary school students. This article identifies for…

Claude V. Palisca (1921-2001) was a prominent American musicologist and music educator. He authored books and articles about Renaissance and Baroque music theory and developments in musicology, but is most widely known as the founder and first editor of the "Norton Anthology of Western Music (NAWM)" and coauthor of "A History of…

The purpose of this investigation was to provide a thorough documentation of the life and career of William F. Cramer. William Cramer was professor of trombone at the Florida State University for more than thirty-five years. He was a master teacher, musician, and scholar. His students remember him fondly as a grandfatherly figure whose teaching…

At the end of the nineteenth century, music was an accomplishment that many women were encouraged to pursue. For some, this was merely an additional "ornament" to enhance marriage prospects, but a growing number took the opportunity to turn musical ability into a career option. A small group of musically educated women in New Zealand at…