Montclair State University music department students and faculty members are annoyed and it’s not just about wrong musical notes. On Nov. 1 a student petition was delivered to the director of the John J. Cali School of Music asking for an increase in practice rooms.
The petition was started by a person who chose to remain anonymous by posting flyers around the department with a QR code for students and faculty to sign. In addition to signing their names, people supporting the petition were asked if they had any ideas for finding additional space.
Noah Stevens, a sophomore viola performance major, shared the obstacles he faces when trying to get access to get a practice room in the building.
“We need more practice rooms or even just a better system of allotting them for students,” Stevens said. “So, during the day it can be very difficult to find a room for practicing, but what’s more annoying is when you have a small chamber group that’s trying to rehearse and you haven’t been able to reserve a room. And there’s nowhere big enough to fit you so you have to wait until one is available.”
Noah Stevens, a sophomore viola performance major, shares the struggles he encounters when trying to get access to a practice room.
Julia Duggan | The Montclarion
According to Stevens, in order to reserve a practice room a student is required to have a professor be teaching them in a specific room. This means a student cannot reserve a room to practice individually, but they can if they are being taught in one. Professors are also allowed to reserve practice rooms to teach in which means there are fewer available for students to use.
Ryan Haupt, a graduate music performance major studying trombone, shared a similar experience.
“One time I had my lesson and I wanted to warm up beforehand,” Haupt said. “I went through all four floors in the building and there were no practice rooms available at all. So I ended up just buzzing on my mouthpiece outside of the room where my lesson would be.”
Ryan Haupt, a graduate music performance major studying trombone, says it is difficult for him to find a practice room in the music department building.
Photo Courtesy of Ryan Haupt
Benjamin Baron, the woodwind coordinator at John J. Cali School of Music, says the issue of space can impact a music major’s ability to learn and improve.
“Students need to have access to practice rooms because that is where the improvement happens for them to acquire the necessary skills to earn a living playing music,” Baron said. “Without practice rooms, students can’t develop as they need to.”
Anthony Mazzocchi, the director of the school of music, recognizes that the department is in need of more space.
“There is no one at the School of Music, including myself, who doesn’t believe that more practice rooms are needed here,” Mazzocchi said. “For musicians, empty rooms are a commodity. Most schools of music simply do not have enough and we are no exception.”
Mazzocchi also explained that he will be taking students and faculty’s concerns into consideration.
“We are constantly engaged in this quest for new space and optimizing the space we have already,” Mazzocchi said. “I appreciate the thoughtful comments included in the petition and I’ll be reaching out to our students and faculty soon to follow up on their concerns.”
Baron also said he is hoping the university will find a solution to resolve this matter soon.
“With a little creativity this problem can be alleviated,” Baron said. “Having space in residence halls would be very beneficial. Walking across campus to Chaplin or Russ Halls can act as an understandable barrier, especially given the weather or time of day. Hopefully, the university can find solutions to help these proactive students work as hard as they desire.”
According to Mazzocchi, he plans to continue looking for ways to increase the number of practice rooms in the music department.
“We’ve worked very hard with university stakeholders to create and share space whenever necessary and we’ve been moving the needle slowly but surely,” Mazzocchi said. “For example, our friends at Russ Hall have paved a way for us to utilize a large practice space in their basement just recently. This opened up several rooms and times at Cali for faculty and student use.”
