Kjos, Sr., pursued his dream to go into the music publishing business. After working for several publishers, he was encouraged by Howard and Bill Lyons of the Lyons Band Instrument Company, to start a sheet music service of his own. Kjos Music Company was born. For the next two decades, the company grew, and published and distributed numerous successful choral and band curricula. During this time,
the band music of Paul Yoder and Forrest Buchtel became known the world over. By 1956, the Neil A. Kjos Music Company had outgrown its premises rented from the Lyons Band Instrument Company and undertook the construction of a 20,000 square foot plant in Park Ridge, Illinois. Neil A Kjos, Jr., soon began working for the company after receiving degrees from St. Olaf College and Columbia University Teachers College, and serving in the 524th Air Force Band. During his studies, Neil Jr. met Jane Smisor Bastien, future author of the best-selling piano methods around the world. acquired the title of president when his father retired in 1969. In 1973, Neil Jr. determined that the company should expand to a part of the country with a more reasonable climate. A location in San Diego, California, was selected for the construction of a new plant. After completion in 1975, the Neil A. Kjos Music Company operated from both San Diego and Park Ridge. In 1985, the Park Ridge location closed, and all operations were transferred to the newly-expanded facility in San Diego. Neil Jr.’s two children, Mark and Tim, joined the company in the mid-1980s. Upon Neil Jr.’s retirement in 2000, Mark and Tim, with their strong business and music backgrounds, continue the legacy established by their grandfather and father. Since its inception in 1936, the Neil A. Kjos Music Company has pursued the goal of publishing the most effective methods and compositions for music teachers and students. Kjos Music continues to set the standard in all areas of the educational music publishing industry.
