author
Thomas Whitney Surette
1861–1941
Best remembered for founding the Concord Summer School of Music, he helped reshape music education by focusing on listening, understanding, and enjoyment rather than mere technical drill. A composer, lecturer, and teacher, he spent much of his career making serious music feel welcoming to everyday learners.
2 Audiobooks
The Appreciation of Music - Vol. 1 (of 3)
by Thomas Whitney Surette, Daniel Gregory Mason
Music and Life: A study of the relations between ourselves and music
by Thomas Whitney Surette
About the author
Born in Concord, Massachusetts, Thomas Whitney Surette was an American musician, composer, and teacher whose life was closely tied to music education. Sources about him agree that he studied with Arthur Foote and J. K. Paine at Harvard and became deeply interested in helping broader audiences engage with music.
His most lasting achievement was the founding of the Concord Summer School of Music in 1915. The school was created to improve the teaching of music, especially for teachers who wanted a richer understanding of the art rather than just technical training. He also lectured widely in the United States and Europe, and his 1917 book Music and Life reflects his belief that music should be part of a full, thoughtful life.
Surette remained active well into later life, though records note that after his wife died in 1937, the school continued only briefly. He taught at Black Mountain College in 1938, suffered a stroke in 1939, and died in Concord in 1941. Even now, he stands out as a teacher who tried to make music appreciation more human, accessible, and alive.