Gov. Ron DeSantis approved $20 million for the UF School of Music’s building project in the “Focus on Florida’s Future” budget June 12, bringing total state funding for the project to $55 million.
The project aims to improve the 50-year-old music building’s acoustics and add a building expansion. Plans for the expansion include the creation of a “state-of-the-art presentation and performance hall” and a recording studio suite.
The expansion will “accelerate the school’s vision for advancing its curriculum, broaden experiential learning opportunities for students and support faculty research agendas that enhance interdisciplinary collaboration,” according to a College of the Arts news release.
Lauren Jackson, a 20-year-old UF music education junior, said the current state of the music building leaves students struggling to find time and space to practice their art.
“We have a limited number of practice rooms, which are often full,” she said. “I had to take classes in the fine arts building because the music building [couldn’t] hold enough classes in [its own building].”
Jackson said she is excited about the School of Music’s plans to expand the music building.
“Composition classes are full of students that write and perform their own music, so the recording studio would be an incredible addition,” she said.
Cara Standard, a 19-year-old UF music education sophomore, said she hopes School of Music practice rooms are renovated because current rooms are “barely soundproof.”
Standard also said she hopes the expansion will alleviate some of the space issues she has experienced in the Music Building.
“Since we had so many [student recitals] this past year, some recitals had to be held in a classroom,” Standard said. “Getting to perform in a professional space would really, as music students, make all of our hard work towards junior and senior recitals feel truly special.”
B Foster, a 20-year-old UF instrumental music junior, said they’ve struggled to gain access to practice rooms, especially on the first day of classes when students audition for different ensemble groups.
“It is near impossible to have access to a room to warm up in before trying to give your best shot at an audition,” Foster said.
The planned recording studio will hopefully “improve the School of Music’s digital musicianship capabilities” and help students record for state and national competitions, Foster said.
Ashley Wu, a 20-year-old UF music alum, said she hopes the School of Music’s equipment, including broken music stands, cracked mirrors and old chairs, would be replaced as a result of the new funds.
She also echoed other students’ concerns about lack of space and expressed hope that renovations and expansions will help make the School of Music more accessible for more students.
“Music is an incredibly diverse way of communicating,” she said. “[It] should be made accessible and understandable for more people.”
Contact Avery Parker at aparker@alligator.org. Follow him on X @AveryParke98398.
Avery Parker is a third-year English and History major covering university affairs for The Alligator. Outside of reporting, Avery spends his time doting on his cats, reading, and listening to music by the Manwolves.
