Music School

I'm briefed to design a music school for my last project studio course. We have been given a rough outline of a generic program that we must customize and make more complex.

So, I'm asking you for input: what would your ideal music school be like? I'm not asking for specific shapes, organizations or spatial relationships, but more what kind of spaces, activities and interactions you would like to have in your ideal music school. You can post your opinion as student, teacher or general public.

Thanks!

Practice rooms. As many practice rooms as possible. A MASSIVE library full of scores, biographies, recordings, analyses, music history, and pretty much any other type of book you can think of, from as many different views as possible.

Some sort of system to get musicians in the school in touch with each others. For example, if a composition student wants to find string players to play a string quartet, instead of having to hunt down string players around the school by awkwardly asking random people if they know a string player, the composer can instead have access to some sort of database that lists all of the students, their instruments, etc. This would be beneficial for the instrumentalists as well as they could use it to find other students to start small ensembles with, or to find composers to write for their instrument. 

Lots of concerts is obviously important. A good balance of genres and styles. Don't emphasize any specific era (especially contemporary, as many schools seem to). Over emphasizing an area tends to alienate students who are not interested in a particular area, or on the other hand are already well versed in that area, but not others. Never assume your students already know a piece or composer. There are plenty of students who may just be coming to your school who come from a small town and have never heard a string quartet live before, or an orchestra. 

That leads me to my next point. Understanding for those who come from "outside" traditions. A lot of students don't grow up in households that listen to classical music, or that encouraged classical lessons. Many students pick up the classical tradition only a few months before going to college because it is required for auditions. My experience has been that there is a large assumption that every music student has already heard, studied, and played every piece by Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, etc. live. The professors and faculty need to be understanding of students who are not familiar with these pieces, and not be frustrated when students find these pieces more interesting than the pieces the professor may find interesting. 

That's all I could think of off of the top of my head. 

 

A school that builds collaborations, and not just with other musicians. Creating a creative think tank where dancers, performers, actors, cinematographers, writers, designers, artists, and engineers can work together would encourage the very farthest possibilities of arts. Teaching collaboration and building relationships while still in school would help immensely after music school, especially when compared to the hard job market for musicians in most regions.

Likewise, a music school should based on shared experiences among performers, teaching each other music of any genre that they enjoy and not elevating one in particular. If all musicians were trained in the manner of a jazz jam session, there would be less stress and nerves issues when the time for performance came. A relaxed, productive atmosphere is the best environment.

And ditch the practice rooms. Take it to where someone can hear you, and the motivation to practice increases.

Hot female composers.

Inter course.

Well, I agree with all of the serious suggestions above, but I'd add a crucial point: how are new students going to learn music? I mean, complete beginners can't simple sit down and attend hours and hours of musical theory classes... Especially if they're kids. I'd highly suggest that the complete beginners do not start their musical education in a very traditional and absolute method. Many people tend to quit musical courses and start to believe that classical music is not for everyone, and that it's extremely difficult to any human being to learn. Of course there are people with much more difficulty to learn music, but as the goal is to have them learning spontaneously, it'd be great to make them feel comfortable and secure about their learning process.

I study music in the university, but my course is focused on Teaching Music, so we discuss these things all the time.^^

My experience with school is that no one cares about composers today, the focus remains on works of the past.

Pretty sad, but then again, maybe I just haven't had the opportunity to be in a good composition program. Probably true.

Great suggestions, thanks! To clarify, I'm looking for conditions that might have a bearing on formal, spatial or material matters... Anyway, I have filtered some cool ideas I could actually use. I'm afraid the intercourse concept is very banal, because that is what schools do. ;-)

My experience with school is that no one cares about composers today, the focus remains on works of the past.

 

Pretty sad, but then again, maybe I just haven't had the opportunity to be in a good composition program. Probably true.

Really? I have had the opposite experience. In the ~15 concerts at my school I have been to since January only two did not have any pieces written by a living composer, and only those 2 had any pieces by "standard" composers (Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, etc.). At my school there is a contemporary music ensemble (Arizona Contemporary Music Ensemble - ACME) that plays about once a month. Last week they had a concert of all living Parisian composers, and next month they have a concert all consisting of contemporary pieces using micro-tones.

Maybe every school just either focuses on "old" music or "new" music? 

...complete beginners can't simple sit down and attend hours and hours of musical theory classes.

Hogwash, how the hell else do beginners become experts if not by putting in the requisite work.

Many people ... start to believe that classical music is not for everyone

It's not a belief, it's a realization.

Many people ... start to believe ... it's extremely difficult to any human being to learn.

Difficulty may vary based on aptitude, but it requires an incredible amount of time and devotion to fully grasp it. Most people are not ready nor willing to actually make that sacrifice.

Coddling is a destructive practice and only serves to disillusion once the protective bubble is stripped away.

An abundance of yelling goats to serenade students at every hallway.