The College of Music and Dramatic Arts is seeking funds to build a new, larger and structurally sound band hall for the School of Music.
The M&DA Web site says upgrading or replacing the Band Hall and Percussion annex are a part of the college’s strategic plan to advance the school to a higher level of excellence.
According to the Golden Band From Tigerland Web site, the current band hall was built after a fire on March 19, 1958 destroyed the preceding hall.
The present band hall has a capacity of 160 people, but the Tiger Band now has 325 members.
Ronald Ross, dean of the College of Music and Dramatic Arts, said the Tiger Band can no longer fit into the band rehearsal hall.
Ross said the design for the new band hall calls for 36,000 gross square feet of new construction, compared to the 6,700 gross square feet of the current band hall.
The new band hall is expected to have two rehearsal facilities, a band housing facility, concert room and offices for staff members, he said.
Ross said there are no plans to demolish the current band hall.
He said the building will be used for storage, office space, costume storage and equipment repair.
Ross said it will not be used for band rehearsals because of structural concerns that warrant a new band hall.
He said the band produces a lot of sound decibels in the hall, but the room’s low ceiling does not allow them to disperse through the air.
Ross said some faculty members have complained of partial hearing loss.
However, Emmett David, director of Facility Development, said even though his department is working with the School of Music, he is not aware of the sound problems in the current band hall.
He said plans for a new band hall have not been finalized, but the department is looking at the feasibility and usability of the existing band hall.
David said the department is studying to find out what their options are.
He said the University’s Master Plan has a potential site for the new hall to the north of the current band hall. But the Master Plan is only a planning document.
David said the plan is only a concept.
Once feasibility is looked at, a schematic design or generalized plan will be made, he said. However weeks, months or years could pass between the two stages.
Ross said the new band hall is estimated to cost between $7.5 and $10 million.
He said the School of Music will have to turn to outside sources such as alumni to raise the funds for the building of a new band hall.
“Some projects lend themselves better to support by alumni and friends and external sources,” Ross said. “We think it would be easier to get funds for a band hall because of the board support and enthusiasm that is out there for the Tiger Band.”
The University will not provide funding for the band hall, he said.
The School of Music has to seek approval from the Chancellor’s Office before it begins to raise funds, Ross said. The Chancellor’s Office already has approved the program of the new hall.
Ross said if the School of Music would have submitted the project to the state it would taken 15 to 20 years to get funds for the new hall.
“That would be unacceptable for us,” he said.
Ross said it took the state 25 years to award $21 million to renovate the Music and Dramatic Arts Building.
Louisiana has a limit on the amount of funds that can be secured through bonding, he said. This means projects compete with each other to get priority on the capital outlay list.
Ross said in order for a project to get priority, it must have first priority at the campus level, in the LSU system, in higher education, at the Board of Regents and then in the state.
“You can imagine how long [it is] to get all the way through those processes,” he said.
Ross said it is easier working with individual donors and friends who share the school’s vision in music and their vision for having excellent facilities for students and faculty.