Julia Etta Crane (see footnote 1) graduated from the State Normal and Training School in Potsdam in 1874. Four years after opening a Pennsylvania vocal school in 1880, Crane was invited to teach at the Potsdam Normal School, where she eventually opened the Crane Institute for teacher training. Crane's unexpected death in 1923 occurred a year before her curriculum was passed by the State Department of Education. The first class of music teachers graduated from the Crane Institute in 1927.
For more complete biographies, see links below.
Biography from MENC Heroes Gallery
Biography from Women of Courage, St. Lawrence, NY branch of AAUW
1986 MENC Hall of Fame
(1989). Women of Courage: Julia Etta Crane, [www]. American Association of University Women, St. Lawrence NY Branch,. Available: http://www.northnet.org/stlawrenceaauw/crane.htm [2002, 12/6].
1. Some biographies use the spelling "Ettie" while others use the spelling "Etta." It is unknown which is correct.