When the Eastman School of Music first opened its doors to students in September of 1921, its educational mission was broad in scope. It was, of course, a university school of music. As such, it was to direct its attention to the training of young people of college age who were preparing for professional careers in music. But the new school was also a community school of music, serving both adults and children from Rochester and surrounding areas. The commitment to these students was intended by the school's founders to promote the advancement of musical knowledge, the development of talent, and the appreciation of music in the community at large. That commitment to the community has been an integral part of the school's mission throughout its history.

Therefore from its very origins the Eastman School consisted of two principal divisions: a collegiate department offering curricula initially leading to the bachelor of music degree but later to graduate degrees as well, and a preparatory department organized to serve the residents of the Rochester community. Although the preparatory department was not separately administered until the mid-1920s, Raymond Wilson was nominally in charge of the department since the first year of the school's operation. Wilson was a member of the piano faculty, who had come to Eastman in 1921 after teaching for seven years at Syracuse University. He served as acting director of Eastman during the 1923–24 school year, a position he relinquished with the appointment of Howard Hanson as the school's director in 1924. Two years later Rush Rhees made Wilson the assistant director of the Eastman School of Music, while also requesting that he remain in charge of the preparatory department.

The preparatory department during most of its first half-century of existence was quite typical of similar programs elsewhere in the United States. Its educational function was basically limited to providing lessons in instruments such as piano, violin, flute, clarinet, and so on., and supplementing these lessons with appropriate classes in musicianship and music theory.