Tim Musselman

tmusselm@mtsu.edu

George T. Riordan

Music

Discipline specific equipment

SFA 302/304

N/A

N/A

Proposal for installation of four state-of-the art, virtual acoustic technology practice rooms (V-Rooms) in SFA 302 with student instrument storage in the adjacent SFA 304. These modular practice units are self-contained and acoustically sealed. Hundreds of MTSU students from various majors take private (applied) music lessons for academic credit (MUAP courses), while some 800 students perform in large and small ensembles (MUEN). Both sets of courses require hours of individual student practice per week. The School's rapid growth (43% in SCH since Spring 2004) has made it difficult for our students to find adequate practice room environments and the needed storage facilities throughout the day. The V-Rooms use virtual acoustical technology that allows for the creation of nine different acoustical environments, which enables students to adapt their playing to different types of performance halls. In tandem with the practice room space request, we are requesting student instrument storage units. The rapid growth of the School has meant that we do not have enough instrumental storage units to accommodate all students who are taking music classes, consequently students have resorted to placing instruments on top of lockers (a chronic security problem) or continually transport their instruments across campus, risking damage.