In the 19th and early 20th centuries, with normal schools pioneering teacher training in America, music education was at the center of both celebration and controversy. Tracing how these institutions shaped the nation's earliest formal music teacher preparation, this book balances enthusiasm for music's civic and academic value with debates over curriculum, gender, religion, and professional identity. Drawing on rich archival sources, noted music educators, and teachers of teachers, Danelle D. Larson and Jill M. Sullivan, gather their work along with that of fourteen insightful contributors into a compelling look at the beginnings of music teacher education and their lasting influence on today's classrooms.

Bruce P. Gleason, University of St. Thomas, USA

This carefully researched volume takes a deep look at a rarely discussed topic germane to the history of higher education: music education and performance in US normal schools. Filling this gap in the history of higher education is an equity project because, as contributors to the volume observe, normal schools educated women and other marginalized groups when educational opportunities at other types of institutions were denied to them. When taken collectively, these essays comprise a rich tapestry that portrays the exciting and varied musical opportunities at normal schools from throughout the United States. Significantly, this book also shines light on the women who taught music at these schools. In addition, by providing detailed information about the history of music instruction and performance at specific schools, each chapter makes an invaluable contribution to the history of that school. By crowdsourcing this massive undertaking and using many projects created by students in a graduate seminar as a starting point for the chapters, Drs. Sullivan and Larson model an innovative, effective pedagogical practice that merits emulation by everyone who teaches courses that include archival research.

Julia Eklund Koza, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA