The Aerie, Yearbook of the University of North Texas, 1990 Page: 53
336 p. : ill. ; 32 cm.View a full description of this yearbook.
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The music program at NT had a long
history of quality, which had been im-
proved and expanded upon over the
years by a variety of dedicated men and
women. In 1938, Wilfred Bain began
what became one of the most respected
music programs in the world, when he
became chairman of the music depart-
ment. At that time only private lessons,
choir and band were offered. Bain re-
cruited some of the most outstanding
teachers in the country, and single-han-
dedly built NT's reputation as a first-rate
musical institution.
Under Bain, Floyd Graham (now re-
membered as 'Fessor Graham - the
name of the award given to an outstand -
ing teacher at NT each year) directed a
band called the "Aces of College Land,"
which was a campus dance band. This
band was the seed that became the inter-
nationally known Lab Band program. In
1947, a Dance Band degree was orga-
nized, which was the first jazz music
degree to be offered by an accredited
institution anywhere in the country. This
degree soon was renamed the Jazz Stud-
ies degree, which became recognized by
musicians around the world as a symbol
of excellence.College
of
MusicA History
of
Leadership
Story by Steve AnismanIn 1946, when the music department
became the School of Music, there were
approximately 400 music majors, which
steadily grew to a total of 1300 in the
next 44 years. Unfortunately, in 1947,
Bain left and went to Indiana University
to start their music department, which,
in 1990, was the largest in the country
(NT was the second largest). When
Bain left, Walter Hodgson took over as
dean, and soon developed the country'sfirst doctoral program in music. In 1950,
a PhD in music and the EdD were the
first two doctoral degrees to be offered
at NT. From 1958 to 1974, Kenneth
Kuthbert took over as dean, and under
his control in 1969, the Doctor of Music
Arts was first offered. This degree was
granted in the fields of performance,
composition and conducting.
After Kuthbert, Marceau Meyers be-
came dean in 1974, and during his ten-
ure he built upon the standard of excel-
lence that had already been firmly estab-
lished. He promoted NT's international
connections, and was the overseer of the
time of the greatest growth of the
School of Music. The school became
involved with an extensive program in
Taiwan, in addition to the numerous
tours abroad by the Lab Bands.
In 1988, Robert Blocker became dean,
and one year later, the School of Music
became the College of Music. The re-
sponsibilities were impressive. Blocker
oversaw one of the most diverse areas of
the university; in the performance area
alone, the college maintained sympho-
nies, lab bands, opera, the Jazz Singers,
collegium musicum, concert bands, the
marching band, various choirs, variousFloyd Graham, later known as 'Fessor
Graham, directs the "Aces of College
Land." This band program later became
the NT Lab Band program. Photo by Uni-
versity Archives
College Of Music faAcademics
I
m -
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University of North Texas. The Aerie, Yearbook of the University of North Texas, 1990, yearbook, 1990; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth61055/m1/56/?rotate=90: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.