Many students and faculty members are excited for the completion of the new WCU School of Music and Performing Arts Center which is being constructed on High, Street adjacent to the Bull Center.Construction of the new music building began with the groundbreaking in April 2004, and the new building will feature a 375-seat theatre, a new art gallery, and an additional 125-seat recital hall.
In March 2005, the largest and heaviest beam of the building, measuring 65 feet inlength, was put in place. The entire building will be constructed of 900 tons of steel and is expected to be complete by May 2006.
The new music building will host campus and community events and make WCU the cultural center of Chester County.
Dr. Timothy Blair, Dean of the School of Music, feels that the faculty and students of the College of Visual and Performing Arts are thrilled and excited about the opening of the new Swope Music Building and Performing Arts Center.
“This beautiful new facility will serve to support the excellence of our curriculum and of equal importance will serve to enhance and enrich the arts throughout the region and beyond. Out campus artists, visiting artists, and partners in the arts working together will form an exceptional creative dynamic which certainly will benefit all out students and the community at large,” Blair said.
Students in the school of music are very excited for the completion of the building.
Sophomore and music education major Don Wittenwiler can’t wait for the construction to be completed. “Now everyone will be able to practice without waiting two hours for a practice room,” he said. Many students agree that the new music building will be beneficial for all music and performing arts majors.
However, some are a bit upset with the time it has taken for the building to be completed. Junior Music Performance major Meghan Hoefert said that it’s a great idea but, “It’s taking too long to build.
University Hall was built in about a year. The parking garage on Matlack took less than a year. How much longer is it going to take and what’s taking so long?”
Ted Wheeler, a graduate student and Music Performance major said, “It’s about time! It will definitely enhance the learning environment of West Chester music students.”
Brendon Johnson, a sophomore Music Education major, expressed his excitement to be in a building where the ceiling tiles aren’t falling out and the vents aren’t blackened by smog.