The School of Music, Theatre, & Dance (University of Michigan) records document music education in Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan and student and faculty musical production beginning in 1885. The records include student ledgers listing names, tuition, and instructors; correspondence and clippings, 1924-1953, concerning the University Band, including correspondence of William D. Revelli; files relating to musical programs, particularly the Michigan Singers' Spring Tour, the Union Opera, and Musket productions; minutes of the executive committee and faculty; and digitized audio and video recordings of performances, including performances at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, by the Michigan Youth Ensembles, and other groups associated with the School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Also included are files associated the Department of Dance and Department of Theatre and Drama.
- Topical Files -- Boxes 1-5, 25-30, 35-41, online
- Student Ledgers -- Volumes 1-7
- Dean's Files -- Boxes 6-8, 30-31
- Faculty Records -- Boxes 9-24
- Donor Files -- Box 31
- Executive Committee -- Boxes 32, 34
- Department of Dance -- Boxes 44-46, online
- Department of Theatre and Dance -- Box 33
- Archived Website -- online
- Audio recordings (original audiotapes and digital recordings) -- Boxes 42-43, online
- Video recordings -- online
Music instruction at the University of Michigan was established by the Board of Regents on the recommendation of the Department of Literature, Science, and the Arts in 1880, making it one of the first universities in the country to offer such instruction. Calvin B. Cady was the first instructor and commenced lessons in 1881, offering a theoretic and scientific course in music. He established the Ann Arbor School of Music (AASM) in 1881 to give private lessons to supplement his university income. In 1885, Cady became a professor; he resigned in 1888.
The University Musical Society was also founded in 1880. The purpose of the society was to stimulate musical appreciation in the university and community. Dr. Henry Frieze, then acting university president, was instrumental in founding the society and university presidents served as presidents of the society well into the twentieth century. In 1881, the recently founded AASM became a division of the University Musical Society and degrees were conferred by the society. The school carried out instruction and concerts in cooperation with the society.
Albert A. Stanley took over the professorship of music and became director of the University Musical Society in 1888. The Ann Arbor and university communities helped the ailing school and society by holding a series of events and fundraisers in the early 1890s. The AASM was reorganized as the University School of Music (USM) in 1892; the University Musical Society continued to administer the school. After this reorganization, $15,000 was raised by the School of Music Building Association to erect a building to house the school on Maynard Street. In 1896, the first commencement exercises were held at the school, with nine graduates participating. Two years later, Frederick Stearns donated one of the largest collections of old and exotic instruments in the country to the USM.
The role of the USM expanded in 1905 when a resolution was adopted by the Board of Regents permitting students in the Department of Literature, Science, and the Arts to elect USM courses in practical music and receive credit. In 1929, the school became a unit of the university, with degrees granted directly by the university rather than the University Musical Society. The school continued to be administered by the University Musical Society board of directors, but matters of policy and principle were now subject to the approval of the University of Michigan Board of Regents. Title to real estate held by the Musical Society passed to the university which made an annual appropriation to assist in payment of expenses for the school. A master of music program was added to the curriculum in 1929.
In 1933, election of the Musical Society's board of directors became subject to regental approval. In 1940, the school became an autonomous unit of the university and separated completely from the University Musical Society. All instructors and professors were put on salary and no longer received commissions from private lessons. The University Musical Society retained the privilege of giving concerts in university buildings and was allowed space for their administrative functions in the Burton Memorial Tower.
In 1921, Albert Stanley resigned as chair of Music. Earl V. Moore shortly thereafter became the director of the Musical Society and school. In 1946, Moore was named the first dean of the University of Michigan School of Music, serving in this capacity until 1960. In 1940, enrollment in the school stood at 303 students with 40 faculty members. Seventy-two concerts were given in 1940. In 1945, the curriculum was expanded to include a doctor of philosophy degree in musicology and music education and a doctor of education degree in music education. In the 1950s, the study of music history was enhanced by the acquisition of the famous Stellfeld Collection of music, including manuscripts of 17th and 18th century composers. In 1953, a doctor of musical arts degree was created, providing a professional degree in composition and performance. By 1960, enrollment had increased to 500 students with 50 graduate students and a teaching staff of 59. In 1960, James Wallace became dean and served until 1970, when he was replaced by Allen Britton.
The growing numbers of students created space problems for the school. In 1964, a new building designed by architect Eero Saarinen was dedicated on north campus. Prior to moving into the new building, the school had been housed in 13 buildings scattered throughout the campus. In 1975, the name of the building was changed to the Earl V. Moore Building in honor of the former dean. The Margaret Dow Towsley Center, an addition to the Moore Building, was dedicated in 1985. The Center contains a Vocal Arts Center, Organ Recital Studio, and Stearns Collection exhibit rooms and was the result of a capital campaign begun in 1980 to raise funds for the school. The Moore Building was further expanded in 2015.
A doctor of philosophy in theory was added to the curriculum in 1971, followed by a bachelor of musical arts in 1973. By the 1972-1973 school year, the School of Music was composed of 106 faculty members and 861 students, including 274 graduate students. The school expanded, with the addition of the Department of Dance in the 1970s and the Department of Theatre & Drama in 1984. Programs in composition and performance were enhanced by the building of one of the five best electronic music studios in the western hemisphere. By the end of the decade, the diversity of the school could be seen in its many departments: Music History/Musicology, Conducting, Theory, String, Organ, Dance, Piano, Music Education, Composition, Voice, and Wind and Percussion Instruments. In 1980, Paul Boylan became dean of the school.
The first official university band was organized in 1935. It performed at athletic events and gave occasional concerts. By the 1960s, there were six university bands: Symphony, Concert, Marching, Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Varsity, and Jazz. The bands are under the direction of School of Music faculty. The Marching Band has gained fame in recognition of its quality and precision in performance which have been highlighted during performances on televised football games. In 1972, the William D. Revelli Band Hall was dedicated in honor of the university band director.
Vocal music has also been a priority of the school; the first choir was established in 1942 and the chamber choir in 1965. The Men's and Women's Glee Clubs, the Arts Chorale, and Michigan Singers have also provided a training ground for young musicians and vocalists at the university.
In 2006, the School of Music was renamed the School of Music, Theatre and Dance.
The University of Michigan is also home to two carillons: the Charles Baird Carillon (Burton Memorial Tower) - an historic English carillon dedicated in 1936 - and the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Carillon, a modern Dutch carillon from 1996. The School of Music, Theatre, and Dance offers a Master of Music in Carillon Performance.
The school participated in the university's 2017 Bicentennial celebration. One of its events was "Glancing Back, Dancing Forward," a panoramic photo exhibit and dance performance directed by Jessica Fogel, chair of the Department of Dance.
As of 2022, the School of Music, Theatre & Dance offers dozens of undergraduate and graduate degrees in a variety of subjects. The school is comprised of 17 departments: Chamber Music, Composition, Conducting, Dance, Entrepreneurship & Leadership, Jazz & Contemporary Improvisation, Music Education, Music Theory, Musical Theatre, Musicology, Organ, Performing Arts Technology, Piano, Strings, Theatre & Drama, Voice, and Winds & Percussion. Its facilities include—in addition to the Burton Memorial and Lurie Carillon towers, Moore Building, and Revelli Hall—the Walgreen Drama Center, Dance Building, and Stearns Building.
Unit name changes
| Date |
Event |
| 1929-2006 | School of Music |
| 2006- | School of Music, Theatre & Dance |
School of Music, Theatre & Dance Deans
| Date |
Event |
| 1946-1960 | Earl V. Moore |
| 1960-1970 | James Wallace |
| 1971-1979 | Allen Britton |
| 1979-2000 | Paul C. Boylan |
| 2000-2005 | Karen Wolff |
| 2006-2015 | Christopher Kendall |
| 2015-2017 | Aaron Dworkin |
| 2017-2018 | Melanie Lynn Racine (Interim) |
| 2018- | David Gier |
