Any musician on campus could probably tell you what is wrong with the Arms Music Center (or "Buckley," as it is universally known), whether it is the shortage of practice rooms, the noisy library or the walls that don't block sound. Yet few non-musicians are aware of these conditions in a facility the College loves to praise as quite adequate. College publications describe the center's "500-seat concert hall," "plentiful practice and rehearsal space," and other amenities that, as two students who frequent the building, we were surprised to hear existed. Buckley is a recital hall, not a concert hall. As trivial as that difference sounds, it is painfully apparent when the orchestra struggles to fit 90 performers on a stage designed for 50. The embellishment of the hall's seating capacity is unforunate, esecially since that number drops considerably when seats must be removed to create our embarrassingly inadequate "pit." Practice rooms are impossible to find at many hours of the day and night, a problem made worse by the fact that no students have a piano in their own rooms that they can use when rooms are full. Rehearsal space for larger groups, including a cappella groups and those that need to use the stage, is even scarcer. The building is too small, too old and too poorly designed to accommodate basic musical activities, from opera performance to electronic music, at a level worthy of Amherst College.
The purpose of our trip, though, is not to point out the problems with our own building. Instead, we see the problems with Buckley as problems for the entire Amherst community. Our trip will cover Williams, Middlebury, Dartmouth, Bowdoin, Brown, Yale and Wesleyan-schools with vastly different student bodies and very different music programs. Yet they all compete with Amherst for the best students. Upwards of 40 percent of students participate in music here, a percentage higher than those who participate varsity athletics. As tour guides, we frequently meet prospective students interested in music and the performing arts. Williams has opened a spectacular new theater facility, far superior to the temporary "theater" that Buckley becomes to host the Interterm musical. Bowdoin is currently renovating its music buildings, which will open right after our tour in April. If Amherst does not provide students with the facilities that they need to pursue their interests, those students will go elsewhere.
Unfortunately, awareness of these problems does not seem to spread beyond the music community. At Pizza with the Trustees last fall, we were disappointed to hear the response of more than one trustee when told about the problems with the facility. "What problems do you see at Amherst College?" one asked. "There isn't enough investment in the music building," we explained. Her response was telling. "What's wrong with the music building?" she replied, unaware that there were serious problems. There are no concrete plans for even short-term fixes for the building to address problems like practice space and the safety issues that contributed to a serious accident in the hall. Even further in the murky future is discussion of an eventual replacement for the building. Despite the cost, both short- and long-term fixes must be examined now for the College to remain competitive.
Our findings will become part of a much larger report on the state of the Arms Center, which will explain the positive aspects of our peer institutions and make recommendations on how to improve our music facilities. We aren't expecting a new facility by the time we graduate. But we'd like to see more awareness and more discussion about what must be done to the building. Amherst is traditionally known as "the Singing College," and we hope our trip is just one way of keeping Amherst a great place to study, make and enjoy music.
Marshall is a music and history major who could write about this for probably another three hours. Jonathan, his roommate, is a pre-med music major who, unfortunately, is usually stuck listening to Marshall's rambling. They can be reached in Pratt 329, or, if you'd rather not visit, at mnannes09@amherst.edu and jsalik09@amherst.edu.