Renovations to Murphy Hall are nearly complete, just in time for the Spring 2011 semester. A band room is among the new additions. Located on the southwestern side of the building, the multi-functional space is already being used for full classes, private lessons and student practice sessions.

“Students can request the space and set up bands,” says Tom Macchi, Associate Vice President for Facilities Management. “All of the lecture chairs can be moved out of the way to house a small orchestra if needed.”

The room includes an electronic keyboard, 50-inch high-definition flat screen TV, DVD and record player, amplifiers, and a designated music recording and composing space with fully loaded Macs and PCs equipped with Finale and Band-in-a-Box. Student and adjunct storage lockers also line the room. Additional equipment will be added during the semester.

Matt Pellegrini, Media Support Coordinator, is working on improving the new space to best accommodate student needs. He envisions building a diverse vinyl collection for general use.

“Ultimately, we’d like to offer students a robust music room for everything from music enjoyment to audio recording for bands or solo artists,” says Pellegrini. “We’re excited to see how members of the Arcadia community use this room so we can continue to develop it to fit their needs.”