The new Music Building al Boone. (Palmer Photo.)
Music From the Mountains
Appalachian's one-teacher Music Depart¬
ment “rows into a complete, modern, na¬
tionally recognized institution.
In 1929. persistent, stubborn
В.
B.
Dougherty installed a tiny, one-wom¬
an "music department" at the college
he founded — Appalachian State
Teachers College at Boone. Twelve
years and a couple of wars and de¬
pressions later, the dream of a useful
and nationally recognized music depart¬
ment has come to reality. The latest
milestone in that progress is a hand¬
some. thoroughly modern building on
the Boone campus, which will be ready
for occupancy shortly. It replaces an
entire building destroyed by fire in
1945.
The new building, two stories high
and more than 280 feet long, has a
large, well-equipped auditorium, dis¬
play rooms, teaching studios, practice
rooms, classrooms, offices for execu¬
tives and teachers of the Art and Mu¬
sic departments, and adequate storage
spaces for instructional materials.
From the small beginning in the fall
of 1929 with only one teacher. Mrs.
Virginia Wary Linncy, the Music de¬
partment has grown to include a fac¬
ulty of eight teachers, and to be one
1 of the few schools in the State offering
the M.A. degree in Music Education.
Bandmasters who are graduates of
ASTC are now directing Music at Val-
Ri; MARY FRIX KIDD
dese. North Wilkcsboro. Goldsboro.
Wilkesboro. Boone, and Forsyth Coun¬
ty in North Carolina and Darlington in
South Carolina; and more than 25
graduate students worked on their
M.A. degrees during the summer of
1951.
Mrs. Linney, original single teacher
in the Music department, now' heads
the Voice department and takes her
choir of approximately 60 voices on a
statewide tour each spring, besides
performing seasonal concerts and as¬
sisting in Boone churches. Mrs. Lin¬
ney is much in demand as judge in
the choral and vocal fields, and was
western district chairman before state
contest work became regional. Orig¬
inally from Kerney, Neb.. Mrs. Lin¬
ney holds the B.M. degree from the
University of Music. Lincoln, Neb..
and after a year's study with Rudolph
Ganz, received the degree of Master
of Arts in Music from the Cincinnati
Conservatory. Her assistant in the Voice
department is Hoyt Safrit, an outstand¬
ing ASTC graduate.
Chairman of the Department of
Music. Mr. Gordon B. Nash, has the
B.A. degree from Eastern Kentucky
Teachers’ College and the M.A. de¬
gree from the University of Kentucky.
He first came to Boone in 1937 to
organize a high school band — and two
years later he organized the college
band and began teaching courses in
instrumental music. As director of In¬
strumental Music and instructor in
Musical Education. Professor Nash has
been called upon to judge district con¬
tests in North Carolina and to conduct
band clinics in Virginia and Tennessee
as well. As a generally recognized mu¬
sical leader in the south, he is to be
host to the western division of the All
State Band Clinic in January.
Courses for a major in music were
introduced into the ASTC curriculum
in 1938, including applied music in¬
struction in all wind instruments and
strings. The Appalachian Band now
has a 60-piece marching band that
plays at football games, parades and
local celebrations, and a 50-piccc con¬
cert band that, like the vocal groups,
makes an annual spring tour.
In additon to the college band, a
60-piccc band is maintained in the
( Continued on page 22)
THE STATE. January 5. 1952
7