The Normal School specialized in training young men in music education, while Pio Nono was a business college.
The school’s primary focus was music, since the office of an organist and choirmaster was frequently combined with that of teacher.
Throughout its early years, Pio Nono was recognized as the chief exponent of Catholic church music in the United States.
In 1922, the “normal school/college” department was dissolved and Pio Nono became exclusively a Catholic boarding and day high school for boys.
Salzmann Hall was built in 1931 to accommodate the growing numbers of students, and this building still stands today as part of St. Thomas More High School.
This new school continued to educate young men in the building previously occupied by Pio Nono.