The JSU Music Academy is backed by the history of the JSU Music Preparatory Program. Opening in 2006, the Preparatory Program offered reasonably-priced private lessons to members of the community on the campus of JSU. Lessons were given in voice, piano and strings, and were taught by music majors with a specific concentration in that area. Director Dr. Wendy Freeland periodically observed the student teachers. These instructors were guided in choosing books and materials and in developing professional skills as music teachers. Semesters culminated in a recital at JSU’s Mason Hall Performance Center and were followed by a reception. Twenty-one teachers and hundreds of students benefited from this program as it ran until 2015.
Now, the JSU Music Academy has reopened its doors for the fall 2017 by offering group music classes in strings and piano with the aim of offering quality and affordable music instruction to the Jacksonville community and surrounding areas.