Jacobs facility turns into reality

The northeast corner of Third Street and Jordan Avenue sits as an empty lot of land, but for Jacobs staff and students, it will be much more.

“In my mind, the studio building means two things. First, it is a symbol of the rich traditions and future vision, which together make this music school so remarkable,”
senior Mary McCauley said. “It is going to be an invaluable tool for all that walk its halls. It is a fitting mark of pride and excellence that this program has one of the world’s most cutting-edge studio buildings to call home.”

The building that McCauley raves about is the new Jacobs School of Music Faculty Studio Building.

There will be a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the beginning of construction at 3 p.m. Friday.

The new facility will house seminar rooms, administrative offices, graduate student spaces and lounges.

The majority of the new building, however, will be studios for faculty and assistant instructors — 84 of them to be exact.

A new presence of studios is one that Jacobs School Dean Gwyn Richards said was in much need. Performance faculty primarily teach in their studios and virtually spend all day in the same space.

The current faculty studios are windowless and cramped according to
Richards. The new studios are expected to amend both of these issues.  

“The current rooms constructed in the 1960s can’t meet student or faculty needs. The new construction will provide a technology that otherwise wasn’t possible,” Richards said.

Richards explained the new building would be equipped with cutting-edge recording equipment for audio and visual performances. He added that this new technology will change and strengthen the relationships between students and teachers.

McCauley echoed Richards’ sentiment, saying the new rooms would shape the way students and professors work together  to advance their musical careers.

While students were looking forward to the construction of the new building, McCauley said her fellow students finally realized the promise of the space once the apartments that formerly occupied the building’s space were knocked down.

Along with the new technology, Richards said it will lead to other changes within the Jacobs School, which he called “wiggle room.”

Other facilities that are also out-of-date have been in need of repair, he said. Now the space is available for the additional construction that needs to be completed.

 Students and faculty at the Jacobs School eagerly anticipate the completion of this state-of-the-art facility.

“The fact that so many have done so much to create it is the true symbol of the commitment to excellence that this school and its faculty share,” McCauley said. “This fabulous facility will stand as an enduring symbol to that process of support, vision and commitment.”