Facilities

As an All-Steinway School, Crane has 142 Steinway pianos, including three new concert grands. In addition, Crane’s collection includes more than 1,000 band and orchestra instruments, a forte piano, three harpsichords, four organs (including a Wicks concert organ), and a collection of Renaissance string and wind instruments.

The Crane Music Library, located in Schuette Hall, houses the most extensive collection of music books, scores, magazines and sound recordings in the North Country. It also provides up-to-date technology for viewing and listening. Assistance in research is offered by Edward Komara, Crane Librarian.

All classrooms in The Crane School of Music feature audio/visual presentation capability. The School has mobile SMART Board technology that can be used anywhere in the complex, as well SMART Boards in each of the Keyboard Labs. Livestreaming capabilities with high-definition video and quality sound recording are available in the largest performance spaces, Hosmer Hall and Snell Theater. 

Housed in the Crane Music Library, this state-of-the-art “hands-on classroom” features 15 student workstations and one teaching station; each workstation contains one 2.8 GHz Mac Mini computer and one Korg Triton Le keyboard. Software includes the latest in MIDI, digital audio, digital video, scanning, office, and web applications. Supported music/video software titles include Dorico (coming Fall 2025), Logic Express, and the iLife Suite. The lab includes a house sound system and SMART Board for interactive projection. Students in all Crane majors may use the lab to compose, conduct research, practice theory and aural skills, create class materials, and develop portfolio materials.

Located in the Performance Arts Center, the recording studio is a state-of-the-art facility completed in 2014. The studio allows for both audio and visual recording, and is linked to the PAC large performances spaces. The studio was recently upgraded to allow immersive three-dimensional mixing using Dolby Atmos 7.1.4.  

There is an additional recording studio space in the Crane complex, which is the home to Madstop Records, a student-led recording initiative that undertakes projects both within the School and with outside companies. This recording space was recently renovated as part of the 2020-2022 Crane Complex renovation project.

The PoEMS Studios provide students with the opportunity to create music using computer software, digital and analog synthesizers, and other electronic equipment. This professional quality lab is equipped with the latest in digital audio recording hardware and software, high capacity digital storage media, and a variety of synthesizers and sound processors.

Housed in the Crane Music Library, the Improvisation Lab provides students with access to computer and sound reinforcement technologies that support the development of jazz improvisation abilities. Sequencing and audio recording software provides soloists with combo backing and the ability to record sessions for use in a variety of educational contexts. SmartMusic software allows students to rehearse with a “virtual accompanist.”

The Crane Complex has about 60 practice rooms, including special rooms for percussion, harp, organ, and harpsichord. Most practice rooms have upright Steinway pianos. There are also nine practice rooms which have grand pianos. These are primarily designated for piano students, and include one practice room which houses two grand pianos. The Crane renovation project, completed in 2022, included a complete redesign of Margo and Scott E. Goodman Percussion Alley, including new Wenger practice rooms for percussion students.

Most practice rooms are available on a first-come, first-serve basis any time the Crane Complex is open. Students can also reserve classrooms and rehearsal spaces in Crane, all of which have Steinway grand pianos. Further information about Crane practice room etiquette and about reserving spaces in the Crane Complex can be found in the Crane Student Handbook.

Below are biographical summaries of people for whom Crane School of Music facilities and locations are named. 

Julia E. Crane Music Center

JULIA E. CRANE entered the State Normal and Training School at Potsdam, now State University of New York at Potsdam, the day it opened in 1869.  She graduated from the Normal department in 1874, and taught school in District 8, Potsdam from 1874 to 1877.  She attended music schools in the summers of 1875 and 1876.  In 1877 and 1880 she taught mathematics and gave vocal lessons in the schools of Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.  She then returned to Potsdam and for a year gave private lessons. The following year she went to London to study with Signor Manuel Gracia, also the instructor of Jenny Lind.

Returning to Potsdam, Miss Crane spent two years giving private lessons and, in 1884, joined the faculty of the Potsdam Normal and Training School, and began planning a music supervisor’s curriculum that went into effect in 1886.  She made special study of music methods with H .E. Holt and Luther Whiting Mason of Boston.

In 1886, Miss Crane incorporated the Crane Normal Institute of Music with rooms in the Normal building.  In 1896 she bought a residence adjacent to the Normal School, continuing classes in the Normal rooms but giving all vocal instruction in the new building.  Twelve to twenty-five teachers of music were graduated from the Institute every year and they were placed in positions throughout the United States.

Miss Crane served as an instructor in music methods at summer sessions of the University of California, the University of Southern California and the University of Wisconsin and lectured on music at Chautauqua.  She contributed to the New England Journal of Education, Etude, Warner’s Voice Magazine, and wrote a standard textbook, Music Teachers' Manual.

Miss Crane's career was ended by her unexpected death on June 11, 1923.  After an interim of almost three years, a group of local residents succeeded in their efforts to have the Crane Normal Institute purchased by the State of New York.  This was accomplished by a bill which was passed and signed by the Governor on May 13, 1926.  On July 26, 1926, the Crane Normal Institute became the Crane Department of Music of the Potsdam Normal School, later becoming The Crane School of Music, State University of New York at Potsdam.

Marie A. Schuette Hall

MARIE A. SCHUETTE was born January 11, 1885.  Miss Schuette graduated from the Oshkosh State Normal School, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 1906, from the Crane Normal Institute of Music, Potsdam in 1914 and received a B.S. from Teachers College, Columbia University in 1923.  Her M.A. in Education was awarded by the University of Southern California in 1930. Additional study was done at the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Wisconsin.

Miss Schuette taught in the public schools of Wisconsin and Michigan and served as Director of Music at Oregon State Normal School prior to her appointment at the Crane Normal Institute and the Potsdam State Normal School.

Miss Schuette was appointed to the faculty of the Crane Normal Institute in 1923-24 to serve as replacement for Miss Crane who had been granted a leave of absence for the academic year.  Miss Crane died June 11, 1923.  Miss Schuette became head of the Institute in 1923; and later, in 1926, was appointed as Director of the Crane Department of Music and served in that capacity until 1930. She continued to serve as a faculty member of the Crane Department until her retirement in 1948.

During her professional career, Miss Schuette was very active in regional and national professional associations.  A kindly, unselfish person, Miss Schuette was beloved by her colleagues and students. Together with Dorothy Hall Klein, Miss Schuette shepherded college alumni activities and was responsible for the newsletters that were sent to alumni.  She carried on this work during the retirement years that she spent at Potsdam.

Miss Schuette died at her home in Green Bay, Wisconsin on March 10, 1965.

Franklin H. Bishop Hall

FRANKLIN H. BISHOP was born November 8, 1878 in Brooklyn, New York, and received his B.S. in Music Education from Columbia University in 1933. In addition to professional work as a violinist, Mr. Bishop served on the faculties of the Mercersburg Academy and the McKenzie School for Boys.

Mr. Bishop joined the faculty of the Crane Normal Institute in 1917 at Miss Crane's invitation. When the institute was purchased in 1926, he became the head of the instrumental department of the Crane Department of Music.  He developed the Symphony Orchestra to a position of prominence in New York State, and founded the All Northern New York May Festival.  He served as a member of the music faculty until his death on July 28, 1940.

Mr. Bishop endeared himself to students by his unselfish devotion to the highest standards of teaching, by his kindly helpfulness and by his never failing courtesy and good humor.

Sara Merrick Snell Theater

SARA MERRICK SNELL, a native of Gouverneur, was graduated in 1901 from the Crane Institute of Music, which became part of the Potsdam Normal School in 1926.  She married Bertrand Snell, who served Northern New York as a member of the United States House of Representative from 1915 until 1939.  Congressman Snell was Republican House Minority Leader.

Mrs. Snell made substantial contributions to the college's Crane School of Music for student financial aid and for specialized equipment.  She was one of Northern New York's most prominent women for many years and had a lifelong interest and loyalty to The Crane School of Music.

Helen M. Hosmer Hall

HELEN M. HOSMER was born on July 12, 1898.  She graduated from the Crane Normal Institute of Music and from the Potsdam State Normal School in 1918.  She earned her B.S. and M.A. degrees from Teachers College, Columbia University in 1927 and 1933 respectively.  She also studied at Cornell University and American Conservatory, Fontainebleau, France. In 1956 and 1976 she was awarded honorary doctorates by the St. Lawrence University and Clarkson University respectively, and in 1985 was awarded an honorary doctorate from SUNY Potsdam.

From 1918 to 1922, Miss Hosmer supervised music in Winsted, Connecticut, then came to the Potsdam State Normal School music department in 1922.  She became acting head of the Crane Department of Music in 1929 and Director in 1930.  She served in that capacity until her retirement in 1966.

In June 1967, Miss Hosmer was appointed Professor and Dean Emeritus of Music of the State University College at Potsdam.

Miss Hosmer's professional activities were varied and distinguished. To cite a few: she organized the Music Department of an experimental school - New College, Columbia University in 1932-33, served as President of the Eastern Division of the Music Educators National Conference 1945-47; was a member of the Academic/Community Music Advisory Panel of International Cultural Exchange Service of American National Theatre and Academy; and was active in national projects carried on by the Ford Foundation in collaboration with the Music Educators National Conference.

Miss Hosmer contributed articles to Etude, Music Publishers Journal, Education, Music Educators Journal, Educational Music Magazine, New York State Education, Teacher Education, The Bulletin of NATS, Massachusetts Music News, Music Journal, New York State School Music News, many state bulletins, International Musician, and ACDA's Choral Journal.

Founder of Crane Chorus, Miss Hosmer achieved international recognition as a conductor and choral adjudicator. Throughout her career she greatly affected the development of choral music and music education in the United States. Her teaching and administrative activities were characterized by imagination, innovation, and inspiration. To the thousands of people who have felt her influence as a teacher she is a symbol of the truly great master teacher.

Miss Hosmer passed away on December 18, 1989, in her 91st year. She remains an influence and an inspiration to The Crane School of Music, its graduates and its friends.

Ralph J. Wakefield Recital and Lecture Hall

RALPH J. WAKEFIELD graduated from Crane in 1942 with a degree in Music Education.  He earned his Master's degree in music education, along with a diploma in Higher Education Administration, and completed all coursework for his doctorate at Columbia University.  He studied at the Peabody Conservatory and the Eastman School of Music.  He taught music at Wappingers Falls Central School and became Assistant Professor of Music at Longwood College in Farmville, VA.

Dean Wakefield returned to Potsdam in 1951 as Assistant to the Director of The Crane Department (Helen Hosmer).  He became Associate Dean of the College in 1958.  In 1965-66, he became Assistant to President Crumb for Institutional Research. He returned to Crane in 1966 as Acting Director of The Crane Department and served as Dean from 1967 until retiring in 1976.In 1979 he returned as Interim Director of Alumni and Parents' Relations. He was asked to return as Associate Dean to Dean Robert Washburn and did so.

Dean Wakefield's love for and commitment to Crane are exemplary as witnessed by his 25-year professional association with Crane and SUNY Potsdam.  In 1984, the College's Alumni Association honored him with a Minerva Award which begins:  "Ralph Wakefield is a symbol of our College.  He represents those qualities we value so greatly in Potsdam College people. He is warm and humorous, intelligent and talented, spontaneous and generous."  In 1976 Ralph was given Life Membership in the Alumni Association.

Dean Wakefield’s accomplishments include planning for the first Crane School on the "new campus" (now known as Dunn Hall).  He also oversaw the construction of the present-day Crane complex.  He acquired 72 Steinway pianos (the largest single purchase of these remarkable instruments); brought the Carnegie String Quartet and Beaux Arts Quartet to Crane; brought Eleanor Roosevelt to Potsdam as a guest speaker; established Crane's long and fruitful relationship with such musical giants as Robert Shaw, Nadia Boulanger, Vincent Persichetti, and Virgil Thomson; started The Crane Faculty Association; established the departments of music history, composition, performance, and theory; founded, along with Brock McElheran, the Saratoga-Potsdam Choral Institute at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center; and established the SUNY Conversations in the Disciplines program.

Dean Wakefield has demonstrated his caring for the North Country community in many ways.  His interest in history has caused him to be called the "Historian of The Crane School of Music" and he has documented the school's history for the St. Lawrence County Historical Association. He is a founding member of the Literacy Volunteers of St. Lawrence County and became their President.  He served on the Board of Directors for the St. Lawrence Foundation for Youth (now known as Music Theatre North).  He was a member of the administrative board of the West Stockholm United Methodist Church.  He served as a member of the board of directors of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.  He served with distinction as an officer of the United States Air Force, first in Italy and then as Assistant Base Radar Officer at Peterson Field in Colorado Springs.

In recognition of Dean Wakefield's ability to inspire students to achieve greatness, his productive and efficient teaching and administrative methods, and for caring deeply about the College and The Crane School of Music, the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York approved the naming of Bishop C224 (the Crane Lecture Hall) as The Ralph J. Wakefield Lecture and Recital Hall.

The Robert & Beverly Washburn Rehearsal Room

DR. ROBERT B. WASHBURN '49 and BEVERLY DARNELL WASHBURN '63 were beloved members of the SUNY Potsdam family for more than five decades, dedicating their lives to educating and nurturing generations of students on campus and in the community. 

Dr. Robert Washburn, a two-time graduate of Crane, earned a PhD in Composition from The Eastman School of Music in 1960, and studied with notable teachers including Nadia Boulanger, Howard Hanson, and Darius Milhaud. Following his service as a music arranger for the Air Force, Washburn was recruited by Helen Hosmer to the Crane faculty, where he served for many years before ending his career as Dean of The Crane School. His music has been performed at the White House, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and across the world. 

Beverly Washburn, also a two-time graduate of SUNY Potsdam, was a founding member and assistant director of the Women’s Air Force Band before eventually becoming a social studies teacher at Potsdam Central School for two decades. Washburn was an active supporter of the arts in our community, including service with the Orchestra of Northern New York, the Potsdam Museum Board, and the American Association of University Women.

Located just off the main lobby for The Crane School of Music, this rehearsal room, Bishop Hall C143, was completed in 2022 and provides a state-of-the-art environment for meaningful musical experiences, education and large ensemble rehearsals.

The Joy Rehearsal Room

JOY ANTHONY DOUGLASS '56 and Chester Douglass Hon. '63 are longtime supporters of music education, both at Crane, and in their own community and careers. Having spent her career as a music teacher, organist, choral director and author, Joy Douglass’ intention is to inspire young musicians to lean into creativity and curiosity. In 2011, she established the Joy Douglass Visiting Master Teacher Program in to honor the transformative opportunities she had working with visiting master teachers during her time at Crane. ln addition to being a Crane graduate, Joy also holds a master’s degree from Teachers College at Columbia University and a Ph.D. in music education from the University of Michigan. She has been a public school music teacher, and later taught music education at the Boston University School of Fine Arts. She served on the board of Chorus America, is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, and a lifetime member of the National Association for Music Education. She is the author of three books, “The Hum and the Buzz,” “Calvin” and “Where the Music Comes From.”

The room, Bishop Hall C119, was officially dedicated as the Joy Rehearsal Room on September 13, 2024. The space was completely redesigned and renovated as part of a larger $21.5 million project which was completed in August 2022.

The Margo and Scott E. Goodman Percussion Alley

The Goodman Percussion Alley encompasses Crane’s percussion teaching suite, with state-of-the-art practice and instruction areas. The space is named in honor of percussion alumnus SCOTT E. GOODMAN ’79, who along with his wife MARGO GOODMAN, has generously supported The Crane School of Music in acknowledgment of the impact that his experience at Crane has had on his life and his successful career in the music business industry. 

Scott Goodman is the CEO of Zoom North America. Headquartered in Japan, Zoom produces a wide array of recording devices, including a line of portable recorders, multi-effects processors, effects pedals, drum machines and samplers, to serve musicians, podcasters, filmmakers and other creative artists. Goodman has distinguished himself as a leader in the music industry, having served on the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Board of Directors, as well as receiving numerous awards in recognition of his professional accomplishments. In recognition of his many achievements, Goodman was presented with the Minerva Award from the SUNY Potsdam Alumni Association—its highest honor—in 2019.

Percussion Alley was officially dedicated as the Margo and Scott E. Goodman Percussion Alley on August 7, 2023. The space was completely redesigned and renovated as part of a larger $21.5 million project which was completed in August 2022.

James Petercsak “JP” Percussion Studio

SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus JAMES PETERCSAK served on the Crane School of Music faculty from 1968 to 2023. For those five decades-plus, Petercsak, who is affectionately referred to as “JP” by students and colleagues alike, led the percussion area and directed the award-winning Crane Percussion Ensemble, until his retirement this spring. He was also instrumental in the establishment of the Crane Institute for Music Business. Petercsak’s students have gone on to enjoy successful careers on multiple continents, becoming educators, in-demand performers, accomplished composers, arrangers, arts administrators, advocates for the arts and executives in the music business industry.

Petercsak is the rare percussionist who is equally adept in both the classical and jazz repertoire. He has performed as orchestral timpanist and percussionist with top names such as Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, the American Symphony with Leopold Stokowski, the New York City Ballet, the Bolshoi Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre. As a jazz drummer-percussionist, Petercsak has performed during four decades with many of the great entertainers of our time, a list that includes Judy Garland, Lena Horne, Sarah Vaughn, Liza Minelli, Dionne Warwick, Mitzi Gaynor, Tony Bennett, Ray Charles, Sammy Davis Jr., Johnny Mathis, Perry Como, Liberace, The Four Seasons, The Supremes and Rosemary Clooney, among many others.

The naming of the James Petercsak Percussion Studio was made possible through a generous donation by Scott E. and Margo Goodman. The naming occurred on August 7, 2023. The studio and the rest of Percussion Alley was completely redesigned and renovated as part of a larger $21.5 million project which was completed in August 2022.

The Samuel Spurbeck Seminar Room in the Crane Music Library

SAMUEL SPURBECK received a B.S. and M.S. degree from the Institute of Musical Art, Columbia University.  He earned a Ph.D. at the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester with a major in musicology.  His thesis, a transcription of the Canonici Manuscript, dealt with sixteenth century choral compositions.

Dr. Spurbeck was a native of Duluth, Minnesota, and came to Potsdam Normal in 1932 where he taught violin, viola and double bass, and music history and literature. In addition he conducted the Crane Symphony Orchestra in many concerts in Potsdam and on tours and prepared the orchestra for concerts conducted by such guest conductors as Nadia Boulanger, Robert Shaw, and Virgil Thomson as well as Crane Chorus conductors Helen Hosmer and Brock McElheran.  He also performed in the orchestra under these conductors and contributed articles to professional periodicals.

A sympathetic and insightful teacher who took great interest in his students' personal intellectual and musical development, Dr. Spurbeck was very supportive of research on a humanistic and communicative level and was also a strong community activity participant.  It is fitting that an area in the Crane Library was named in his honor.

Cassie's Harp 

Dedicated September 2011, Cassie's Harp, serves as a place of quiet remembrance honoring the lives of students who have passed away while pursuing a degree at SUNY Potsdam. The harp was constructed and placed outside, in close proximity to The Crane School of Music on its Eastern side, with funds endowed by Al (Hon. '10) and Kathryn (Hon. '10) Davino, in loving memory of their daughter, CASSIE DEVINO.