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Challenge
Plan and equip new music facility, including rehearsal and performance spaces.
Wenger Solution
Supporting music faculty with resources and advice, from initial planning through construction. Furnishing appropriate, flexible storage solutions. Providing sound-isolating practice rooms for individual and small groups.
Benefits
Highlights
"To come up with a rough layout for our new music facility, I relied primarily on Wenger's Planning Guide, says Fred Trumpy, band director at Bernards High School in Bernardsville, New Jersey. "It saved me countless hours researching things like recommended room sizes, ceiling heights and square feet per student." He says Wenger was really helpful throughout the construction process, including his representative stressing the importance of adequate ceiling height. "To justify my requests in planning meetings, I researched enrollment, acoustics and equipment," recalls Trumpy. He says the architects took all his information - including the dimensions, sizes and designs that Wenger recommended - and made it work. "We ended up with a beautiful music facility. The acoustics in here are great - I'm not going to lose my hearing in five years," comments Trumpy. School enrollment is 750 in grades 9-12, with 90 students in band, 110 in chorus and 100 in music technology. Wenger's reputation for quality and value was important in selecting equipment. "Wenger makes great products," he says. "I kept reinforcing how well our past Wenger products had held up and how you get what you pay for." He says new storage solutions make a big improvement over the previous facility. "With a place to store everything, it all stays neat," notes Trumpy. "When it comes to organizing, Wenger has thought of everything."
Two Rehearsal Resource Centers are located behind the rehearsal podium, providing quick, convenient access to sheet music or handouts for distribution. Three new Music Library units were purchased, adding to three existing ones. "For instrument storage, we had old metal shelving that was collapsing," recalls Trumpy. "Now I've got this amazing storage room with Wenger cabinets. Every instrument is securely stored, with a clear aisle." The end-of-year inventory chore that took Trumpy "forever" is now a ten-minute task using his Excel spreadsheet. "Even the Move & Store Carts for chairs and stands are great," says Trumpy. "Setting up and breaking down now takes just a fraction of the time - I simply wheel them around." Trumpy really likes how the Nota chair positions the student correctly for proper posture. "The chairs help me reinforce that lesson," he says. "Students can still slouch, of course, but they're not going to be very comfortable. The Nota chairs have worked out very well." He believes the Conductor's System is also excellent, with easy height adjustment and mobility. "I love its wheels, which make it easy to move around depending on the ensemble's size or where we're playing."
For individual and small-group practice, Trumpy says their old practice rooms were "basically closets." Now they have two large, ensemble-sized Wenger sound-isolating practice rooms. "I have the flexibility to divide the band into sectionals and nobody can hear anybody else - they are great!" In the band rehearsal room, Versalite seated risers create two tiers - one for trumpets and another behind for low brass and timpini. "These risers have a great design," comments Trumpy. "Our full horseshoe layout will be housed in the new auditorium, and I'll move the rehearsal tiers into the auditorium for concerts if necessary." Another Versalite set used in the choir room may also be moved into the auditorium. While the old auditorium served the school well, Trumpy says it had a small stage and was showing its age. The new one will have plenty of room onstage, with a fly loft and a pit, and seating for 950. Concludes Trumpy, "With our new facilities, I believe students recognize - maybe only subconsciously - that music and the arts are important and respected in our district."
Product List
Planning Guide for Secondary School Music Facilities; Instrument Storage Cabinets, Nota® Music Posture Chairs, Roughneck® Music Stand, Conductors System, Signature® Choral Risers and Acoustical Treatments.