In the Regenstein Hall of Music, most of the pianos are old and covered in scratches, many with bits of their wood gouged out or crushed.
More often than not, they are left out of tune, and some are missing keys. Most of the the practice rooms lack music stands and are cramped and irregularly shaped. The chairs are not designed to support the musicians who sit in them, practicing for hours.
These are just a few of the problems that anger students in Northwestern’s School of Music.
“We’re not appreciated,” said Gabrielle Castriotta, a Music and Weinberg senior.
While North Campus continues to swell with construction, University President Henry Bienen has said plans for a new music building – attached to Pick-Staiger Concert Hall and Regenstein – are delayed indefinitely until a lead donor can be found. Bienen has said he’s close to finding such a donor, but plans have not been solidified.
In interviews with more than twenty students from the School of Music, the musicians acknowledged they have much to celebrate: A world-class faculty, talented peers and national recognition all make their experience worth it.
But the run-down facilities, sparsely attended concerts and lack of recognition from their administration and peers leave them frustrated.
Students called their current facilities decrepit. Some remembered being shocked when they first arrived for auditions.
In the unheated Music Practice Hall, called “The Beehive,” wooden reeds snap in the cold. In Regenstein, sound bleeds through walls, creating a cacophony in the halls and distracting musicians from their own playing. And in the Music Administration Building, students are forced to interrupt each other as they navigate practice rooms wrapped inside of other rooms.
“We’ll have classes at Tech or University, and we walk through the halls and everything is new, up to date,” said Michael Martin, a Music junior. “Then we have a class at Regenstein, or even worse, Music Administration, and you feel like you’re gonna die.”
The new building is delayed for practical reasons, said Eugene Sunshine, senior vice president for business and finance. The “pipeline” for science donations is clearer and more predictable, allowing them to begin projects without an obvious lead donor. Profitability or prestige has nothing to do with which is built first, Sunshine said.
The university is committed to paying for more than half the cost of the new music center, Sunshine said.
“I certainly understand their dissatisfaction and frustration at not getting their building as fast as they want,” Sunshine said. “I want to assure them that it’s not because they’re the low man on the totem pole; they’re not low on our list of priorities.”
But for some students, the everyday trials upset them most. For percussionists such as Catherine Barnes to adjust a marimba’s height, students have to manually hoist the instrument onto blocks. The instrument, which resembles a xylophone, is roughly seven feet long and three feet wide. The university has not bought a height-adjustable model, despite student requests.
“I know they promised us a new building.” said Barnes, a Music sophomore. “I care more about the instruments we need.”
The problems go beyond students’ physical surroundings. Many said they are tired of being ignored, or worse, derided by their peers, who rarely attend shows and write off their hard work. Administrators don’t help, they said. Although NU’s higher-ups make it a point to show up at football games, they say they’re not present at concerts.
“I just feel like there’s no recognition for us,” said Ethan Bensdorf, a Music junior. “So many of us have done so many things, gotten international recognition, won international competitions, and nobody cares.”
Despite it all, Music students said they are proud of their school and their accomplishments.
“It’s a good school of music, but we don’t get a lot of recognition, and I think that bothers some people,” said Anna-Louise Burdett, a Music and Weinberg junior and member of the Music Student Advisory Board. “It’s kind of Northwestern’s Cinderella school.”
Reach Jordan Weissmann at [email protected].
