Practice rooms a priority for music majors

When Melanie Wright first began her music studies at the University of Windsor, she found it hard to find time to practice.

A native of Bradford, Ontario, she was living in residence and did not want to disturb her flatmates with the two to three hours a day of clarinet recommended by her instructors. The problem was she could book only six hours a week for practice rooms in the Music Building.

“There are about 200 students and just 12 practice rooms,” said Wright, now president of the Music Society and entering her fourth year as a BMus major. “I didn’t do very well in lessons that first year.”

She hopes that a planned move to the Windsor Armouries building will mean more dedicated practice spaces for students.

“Having a small building like this really constricts your creativity,” she said. “There are these great faculty and great programs and so many things they could do if they had the space.”

She said that a move downtown would expose more students to Windsor’s music scene.

“I came from a small town and we didn’t have a music scene,” Wright said. “Windsor’s downtown is a good place to be because of all the music that is going on down there.”

She said students will find opportunities to play and an adequate performing space in the new music building would draw new audiences to music events.

“It will be interesting to see how people network,” she said. “It’s important for music students to meet other musicians and share ideas and experiences.”