In 1956 former Raleigh Public Schools Band Director, Robert A. Barnes, worked as an assistant to Major C.D. Kutschinksi, marking the first time the music program had more than one full-time worker. When Kutschinski retired in 1957, Barnes took over as music director and made it his mission to increase involvement. When Barnes started, there were 23 members in the band and the Men’s Glee Club was defunct. Six years later, when he left State College, there were almost 300 students in the music program–175 in the three bands and 70 in the Men’s Glee Club. Barnes also worked to improve facilities for students, finding rehearsal, office, and equipment storage space in old Pullen Hall. Additionally, in 1959, along with Gerald Erdahl, former director of the student union, Barnes founded the “Friends of the College” concert series, which was the largest season subscription concert series in the world, with 16,000 annual members, and ran until 1994, showcasing national and international orche...