Type: Exhibition case

Name: Rutgers College

Detail: Long before the founding of Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University’s liberal arts colleges developed their own music departments and traditions. Although each school has a unique history―Rutgers College was founded to train ministers for the Dutch Reformed Church, New Jersey College for Women (later Douglass College) was established to provide higher education for women, and Livingston College formed in response to the sociopolitical changes of the 1960s―a shared passion of music united these various student bodies. The next seven “cases” focus on students and professors who participated in music at Rutgers from 1871, when the Rutgers College Chapel Choir formed, to 1981, when the music programs at Rutgers, Douglass, and Livingston College transferred to Mason Gross School of the Arts. Ultimately, these cases explore the history and tradition of music at Rutgers University and examines how music constructed a shared identity among the colleges.

The music department at Rutgers College was established in 1919 and headed by Howard D. McKinney. Classes were offered in instrumental and vocal studies as well as music theory, history, and appreciation. Additionally, a number of music clubs provided students with the opportunity to practice, hone, and enjoy their crafts with peers. These groups performed on campus, throughout New Jersey and the United States, and often collaborated with New Jersey College for Women music groups.