Wolfgang Erasmus Kuhn

Background

Wolfgang Erasmus Kuhn was born on the 12th of April, 1914 in Leipzig, Germany, but later his family immigrated to America.

Education

Wolfgang Erasmus Kuhn attended school and studied violin until 1927 in Leipzig, Germany. After that, he studied at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in 1936 and a Master of Music degree in 1943. Ten years later, in 1953, he obtained a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Music Education from the same university.

Career

Wolfgang Erasmus taught at his alma mater, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, from 1943 to 1955. Then, he served for three years as an associate professor of music at the University of Colorado Boulder. Besides, at both universities, he was head of the Music Education Department. In 1958 he joined the faculty at Stanford University, where he was in charge of both the Department of Music and the School of Education and served as a professor of music and education.

Kuhn was an advocate of the Suzuki method of teaching music and held summer workshops using Suzuki's instruction principles. In his later years, he teamed up with Paul Lorton Jr., to develop computer software called the MusicMaster, released in 1982. It used the Apple II-Plus to help students learn to play by ear. Not long after this accomplishment, Kuhn retired from Stanford as an Emeritus Professor.

During his career, Wolfgang Erasmus Kuhn published several books on music instruction, including Principles of String Class Teaching (1957), Instrumental Music: Principles and Methods of Instruction (1962, second edition, 1970), and The Strings (1967).

Achievements

• Wolfgang Erasmus Kuhn was an outstanding educator, musician, and author, as well as a pioneer in the development of computer-assisted instruction in music. Kuhn played an important role in integrating music and technology. Kuhn and Paul Lorton Jr. developed a computerized system for teaching musical skills. Stanford students would descend into the basement of the Dinkelspiel Auditorium, where the contraption was set up, for ear-training practice. With the help of a grant from the Apple Educational Foundation, the two men developed the software to run with an alphaSyntauri keyboard, the Apple II-Plus computer, a synthesizer, and an audio system. At the time, it was one of the most sophisticated systems for computer-assisted music instruction in the country.

Works

More photos

• book

  • The Strings 1967
  • Instrumental Music: Principles and Methods of Instruction 1962

Views

Quotations: "As to music education, I think the most important duty is to awaken the love of music in young people. But on a more personal level, I regard music as an open-ended study. To the end of my life, I shall always be learning more and appreciating it more."

Personality

Quotes from others about the person

• "He was one of the shining lights of music education." - George Houle, Kuhn's longtime colleague and professor emeritus of music at Stanford University

Connections

Wolfgang Erasmus Kuhn was married to Mary Kuhn, who died in 1995. They had three daughters - Suanna Breed, Elizabeth Bacchetti, and Virginia Day.

late wife:

Mary Kuhn

Daughter:

Suanna Breed

Daughter:

Elizabeth Bacchetti

Daughter:

Virginia Day