Lincoln Hall Renovation and Expansion

What did all of this mean for the areas of study within the Department of Music, including musicology, composition, and performance?

    from conductor Mark Davis Scatterday, former Professor of Music and Chair:

Prior to the renovation and expansion, performance studies truly suffered in Lincoln Hall. Our large ensembles (wind bands and orchestras) held all rehearsals in Bailey Hall. Frequently, the ensembles had to cancel rehearsals due to special events held in Bailey. Due to little or no acoustical treatment in Lincoln Hall, only one ensemble rehearsal could actually take place in the building at a time, since the resulting sound bled throughout the building. There were nine practice rooms in the basement, again without acoustical sound proofing, resulting in a rather trying rehearsal situation. Often one could hear Sousa, Husa, and Mozart at the same time!

While no concert hall has been added to Lincoln Hall, the impact of the changes to the performance area is tremendous. With the advent of acoustical construction systems throughout the building, sound isolation between music spaces and sound quality within spaces is simply assumed. The addition of the large rehearsal hall (accommodating ensembles of up to 100 musicians) and a large classroom which doubles as a smaller rehearsal hall means that all instrumental ensembles can now rehearse in Lincoln Hall, even at the same time, if necessary. Both of these rooms are wired to a modern recording studio which physically overlooks the large rehearsal hall, allowing for immediate feedback for the conductors and for special recording sessions. These two rooms (which feature wood flooring and are outfitted with state-of-the-art audio-visual components for multi-media presentations) as well as the dedicated gamelan room are all two stories tall, enhancing the acoustical properties of the rooms. Groups involved in chamber music ensembles now have their own rehearsal room, and portions of the orchestra and bands can now conduct sectional rehearsals in any number of rooms, rather than staying after or coming at a different time to the stage of Bailey Hall. Behind the large rehearsal room are storage facilities to house percussion instruments, double basses, and both the instrumental and choral music libraries (housed previously in Bailey Hall and Sage Chapel), as well as many storage lockers for students participating in the performing ensembles.

We made the leap from 9 practice rooms to 28, many equipped with grand and upright pianos, and a harpsichord/fortepiano practice room to better accommodate the practice needs of the students involved in the performing ensembles, private study, Vocal Coaching Program, and chamber music. On the second and third floors of the building along East Avenue, 13 teaching studios house faculty members giving individual instruction in strings, winds, voice, and composition. These studios feature all-wood floors, further acoustic treatments, and recording equipment.