Building a Band Room:
Lessons Learned in Manteno

By David Conrad, Music Director
Manteno Unit #5 Schools (Manteno, Illinois)
Originally Published in January 1999

During the fall of 1998, the Manteno schools began planning a building to house grades 2-5.  This article complies many documents, charts, and data that I used to justify the need for a band room in that school.  Ultimately, we were successful!

Since publishing this resource on-line, many band directors across the nation have used this resource to advocate for improved facilities.  Over 20,000 downloads have been registered so far!

The data and figures were accurate in 1998.  Make sure you update the current prices of construction in your area.  This information is vital, as most decisions come down to money.....the school has a fixed amount o construction funds to spend.

Advocacy

Be prepared to answer tough questions about your needs.  You will have to become an advocate for your part of the project.

Questions and Answers

Q: Why should the district spend money on a band room?

A: This year, fifth grade parents have invested almost $85,000 in beginning band instruments. At the very least, the district needs to provide an appropriate teaching facility for all of our beginning band students.  When you realize the investment that our parents are making, beginning band is one of the most cost-effective programs our district can offer. A band room is a fixed, one-time cost.  

The following table illustrates in the parent investment in our 5th grade band program:

Parent Investment in 5th Grade Band (from 1998-1999)
Instrument	Rental Cost (plus books)	Number Enrolled	Total Cost
Flute	$659.00	14	$9,226.00
Clarinet	$619.00	21	$12,999.00
Oboe	$1,624.00	5	$8,120.00
Alto Saxophone	$1,284.00	11	$14,124.00
Trumpet	$739.00	15	$11,085.00
French Horn	$1,789.00	8	$14,312.00
Trombone	$739.00	12	$8,868.00
Baritone (3/4)	$1,869.00	1	$1,869.00
Baritone (4/4)	$2,019.00	1	$2,019.00
Percussion	$389.00	6	$2,334.00
		94	$84,956.00

Q: What will the proposed space be used for?

A: This multiple-purpose room is designed to be flexible and accommodate many activities. Band instruction will take place in this room during the school day. A folding wall will open into the gym, creating a performance stage that can accommodate elementary music programs, bands, choirs, drama, and dance.

The music staff plans to add co-curricular performance groups to the new building. One option is two after school choruses: one for 4th graders and one for 5^th graders. This group would rehearse after-hours in this room. Alan Shepard School in Bourbonnais offers after school choirs to its 4^th and 5^th grade students.

 

Q: You should teach full band in the gym or cafeteria. Why not?

A: A gymnasium would not provide a healthy acoustical environment for daily instruction. It would not provide space for instrument storage, percussion instruments, or practice rooms. Supplementary displays and bulletin boards could not be provided.

Equipment security is an important factor. Also, valuable instructional time would wasted by the daily setting-up and tearing-down of the band. The drop-out rate would increase.

 

Q: How do you know "how big" of a room you need?

A: You need to calculate the necessary room size.  There are two important measurements to consider: square footage and cubic volume.

For square footage, Harold Gerdes recommends 25-30 ft² of rehearsal space per student. This is not the amount of space taken up by one student. Instead, this is an estimate that factors in necessary space for aisles and traffic flow, large instruments, and music stands. This figure assumes a minimum rehearsal floor of 1500 ft².

An architect must provide as much cubic volume as possible.  An appropriate ceiling height diffuses the sound.  Student hearing is protected from damage, and the room acoustics are improved. The typical band room ceiling is between 14-18 feet high, depending on the shape of the room.

Rehearsal Area Size Calculations 1 (this does not include storage rooms and offices)
Harold Geerdes, Music Facilities2			Wenger Corporation, Planning Guide3
Number of Students	Area (ft2)	Volume (ft3)	Number of Students	Area (ft2)	Volume (ft3)
1	25	600	1	30	550
60	1500	36000	60	1800	33000
90	2250	54000	90	2700	49500
120	3000	72000	120	3600	66000
1 Both estimates assume a minimum rehearsal size of 1500 ft2. 2 Geerdes recommends 25-30 ft2 for band, and 30-35 ft2 for orchestra. 3 Wenger recommends 30-35 ft2 for instrumental music.

Florida Department of Education School Design Requirements
	Capacity	Minimum	Normal	Maximum	Additional Space Required (normal ft2)
Music Lab	28	50 ft2	52 ft2	54 ft2	reference area (100 ft2), storage (155 ft2), and practice room (one 40 ft2 room for every 40 students)
Band Room	none given	1500  ft2	2000 ft2	2500 ft2	reference area (100 ft2), storage (155 ft2), ensemble room (300 ft2), practice room (one for every 40 students), instrument storage (600 ft2), studio (185)

Q: Why can’t we just cut the room in half and split the band into two?

A: That doesn’t work. According to Harold Geerdes, "The square footage per player allowed for a smaller ensemble should be somewhat more than for a large group, because circulation space requirements do not decrease proportionally."

Office space and storage areas are still needed whether you build a band room for 60 or 120 students. A closet for storing folding chairs and portable risers is still needed.

The smallest rehearsal space that should ever be built is 1500 ft². This is supported by four different sources: Geerdes (1990), Wenger (1998), Pizer (1993), and the Florida Department of Education (1998).

 

Q: Why can’t "chorus" and "band" be taught in the same room?

A: Some people confuse "chorus" with "general music". In Manteno, general music is taught to students in grades K-4. Susan Turner is the general music teacher in Manteno. The general music curriculum includes movement, Orff instruments, solfege, listening analysis, music reading, dance, singing, and multi-cultural music. This curriculum exceeds the Illinois Learning Standards.

Chorus is a specialized performance group. Students learn to sing in unison and harmony. Chorus does not meet the Illinois Learning Standards.

The general music room in an 800-student elementary school will be used all day just to meet the minimum time for music instruction. A general music room needs to have flexible furnishings to allow for movement instruction.

Q: The architect says that he has never built a band room larger than 1100 ft². What is special about our needs?

A: The Manteno project will hold 800 students at capacity. This will be the largest elementary school in the area.

1100 ft² might be an adequate room size for general music. For bands, however, such a room could not produce the cubic volume necessary for healthy acoustics. Storage, practice rooms, and office space must also be factored into any band room design.

It is true that some districts do not adequately plan for 5^th grade music instruction. Many suburban band programs are taught in closets, kitchens, and hallways. This leads to high drop-out rates and low participation.  When you are designing a new building that will house a beginning band program, you must plan an appropriate teaching facility for band instruction.

Q: Why would we need a "Cadillac" band room?

A: This will be a large room, but it will not have the full appointments of our junior high or high school band rooms. It would best be described as a "large Chevy". Incidentally, the present high school band room has 1735 ft² of rehearsal space and has a total of 2400 ft² (including offices, storage rooms, and practice rooms). The high school and middle school both have permanent tiers. These buildings also have tympani, chimes, drum sets, synthesizers, bass clarinets, music libraries, and other expensive equipment that would not be purchased for 5^th grade band.

 

Q: What is wrong with an 1100 ft² band room?

A: An 1100 ft² room does not meet our current needs. Our current band enrollment is over 90 students. A balanced instrumentation could not be achieved in split bands.

An 1100 ft² room does not meet our future needs in a 2-5 building. At capacity, eight sections of fifth grade would be housed here. Approximately 200 fifth grade students would be enrolled here. Using the 1998 recruitment rate, over 140 students would be expected to join the fifth grade band. This basic enrollment is 120% larger than the room capacity. Balanced instrumentation would be difficult to achieve due to the scheduling pattern needed for split bands. Elementary music programs could not be staged from this room. Full band performances could not be staged from this room.

An 1100 ft² room does not meet our future needs in a K-5 building. A future "neighborhood school" housing grades K-5 would have a capacity for five sections of each grade level. Approximately 125 fifth grade students would be enrolled. Using the 1998 recruitment rate, over 90 students would be expected to join the fifth grade band. This basic enrollment is 50% larger than the room capacity. Split band in this building would be too small; balanced instrumentation could not be achieved. Full band performances could not be staged from this room.

 

Q: Why do you recruit kids into the band?

A: In Manteno, band instruction begins in 5^th grade. In order to maintain a strong, district-wide band program, we must start an adequate number of players. We must also start them on the rights kinds of instruments. This year, 75% of 5^th grade families chose to enroll their kids in the band.

Q: What other schools teach 5^th graders in a full band?

A: Manteno has always had a 5^th grade full band. Most schools teach fifth grade band using a combination of lessons, sectional, and full band rehearsals. Kirby School District #140 in Tinley Park has three full bands that each exceed 100 players. In Plainfield, their district-wide beginning band exceeds 200 musicians. Full band supplements group instruction.

Peotone has recently hired a second, full-time band instructor. This has resulted in the expansion of full band opportunities and lesson time for grades 5-6.

 

Q: What happens if a band room is not built?

A: The music staff proposes bussing students to the middle school or high school band rooms for full band practice. This would result in wasted instructional time and additional expenses for fuel and bus driver wages. Parent dissatisfaction with the lack of an appropriate band room would decrease enrollment.

Busing band students between buildings is currently in practice in Kankakee School District #111 and Kirby School District #140.

Q: What furnishings will be needed in the band room?

A: We need the following items:

• Chairs and music stands (one per student)
• Basic percussion instruments (bass drum, bells, snare drums, cymbals)
• Podium and director’s stand/chair
• One filing cabinet for music storage
• Furnishings for teacher office (desk, files, cabinet, etc.)
• Computer/phone/data equipment
• Shelves, cabinets, or lockers for student instrument storage
• Basic sound system -- CD player, recorder, amplifier, speakers

 

Q: What does __________ mean?

A: Be prepared to define any unfamiliar terms.

Definition of Terms
Rehearsal Area	The space in the room where instruction or performance takes place. This does not include storage space or office space.
General Music	The general music curriculum includes movement instruction, Orff instruments, solfege, listening analysis, music reading, dance, singing, and multi-cultural music. This curriculum exceeds the Illinois Learning Standards.
Chorus	Chorus is a specialized performance group. Students learn to sing in unison and harmony. Chorus does not meet the Illinois Learning Standards.
Instrument Storage	Area where students keep their instruments during the school day.

Q: What if we later convert to a K-5 neighborhood school?

A: You need a band room in a K-5 building. In this K-5 building, we anticipate an instrumental enrollment of 90 students. If the present middle/elementary schools were converted to a K-5 campus, both neighborhood schools would have band rooms.

Q: What if we later convert to a K-3 school?

A: This room would still be needed as a performance area. General music could be moved into this space, freeing up one room for classroom instruction. With its proximity to the overflow parking (bus) area, this room will be utilized by the community groups -- especially arts organizations.

 

Q: Isn’t the building is already too large?

School Planning & Management magazine has published data on new school buildings.

The Manteno Elementary plan – with a band room – ranks slightly above the lowest quartile for square feet per student. The lowest quartile means that 75% of the schools built provided more square footage per student than the Manteno project.  Only 25% of newly-built schools provided less square footage per student. 

At the same time, this project ranks above the highest quartile for both the total size of the building and the number of students it is designed to hold.

In other words, the Manteno project ranks among the largest buildings to be built, but it provides the least amount of space per student.

Profile of New Elementary Schools (from School Planning & Management)
	Cost per ft2	Cost Per Student	ft2 Per Student	# of Students	Building Size (ft2)	Building Cost (000s)
National Median	$97.69	$11,429	119.0	550	67,000	$6,500
LOW 25%	$79.21	$8,334	98.0	400	50,000	$5,000
HIGH 25%	$125.64	$18,696	166.7	725	85,000	$8,900
HIGH 10%	$153.10	$27,778	253.0	823	100,000	$12,000

 

Manteno Intermediate School: New Building Project (with band room) Comparison of cost @ $92.00 and $97.69 (cost per ft2)
Cost per ft2	Cost Per Student	ft2 Per Student	# of Students	Building Size (ft2)	Building Cost (000s)
$92.00	$9,373	101.9	800	81,500	$7,498
$97.69	$9,952	101.9	800	81,500	$7,962

 

Q: What about those Plainfield schools we visited? 

A: During the 1997-1998 school year, Melody Balicki was employed as a band director in the Plainfield School District.  She taught two junior high school concert bands, taught beginning band in two K-5 buildings, and served as a marching band instructor.  In two elementary buildings, she recruited students for the beginning band. The same materials and teaching techniques were used at both schools.

School "A" had a dedicated band room and full band rehearsals.  They experienced an 89% retention rate. Mrs. Balicki stated that full band experiences were the key component to this success. Students were motivated by the team spirit and cooperative atmosphere of the full band rehearsal. The dedicated band room allowed her to provide appropriate percussion instruments for the beginning percussion class. Fingering charts and other visual learning aids could be posted on the walls.

School "B" did not have a dedicated band room.  They experienced a 26% higher drop-out rate. Students who fell behind could not be helped. Students did not develop a "team" identity which leads to a cohesive group spirit. There was no place to teach full band.

The purpose of the full band rehearsal in to reinforce the instrument fundamentals which are taught in small-group lessons.

5th Grade Band in Plainfield, Illinois Research conducted by Mrs. Melody Balicki during SY 1997-1998
	Facility	Teaching Schedule	Students Recruited	Students Retained	Retention Rate
School "A" (K-5)	Dedicated Band Room	Lessons and full band rehearsals begin in September. Students start full band experiences during the first week of instruction.	35	31	89%
School "B" (K-5)	No Band Room, band teacher uses a different classroom for each lesson	Student attends one lesson per week. No full band experience.	40	25	63%

 

Q:  How do we evaluate a building plan? 

A: Russell Pizer has published specific criteria for evaluating a band room:

Criteria for Appropriate Concert Band Facilities Adapted from Evaluation Programs for School Bands and Orchestras by Russell Pizer (1990)
The rehearsal room.....	Is a designated space not used by other classes or activities.
	Is designated specifically for instrumental music instruction.
	Is undisturbed by other areas of instruction and activities during the school year.
	Is located in an area segregated acoustically from academic classes.
	Is accessible to the auditorium or performance area.
	Has direct entry/exit to the outside.
	Contains lavatory and drinking facilities.
	Has all music areas in proximity.
	Is at least 1500 square feet in size.
	Allows 20 square feet per student and a minimum of 260 cubic feet per student.
	Is at least 30 feet in depth.
	Ceiling is at least 14 feet, but does not exceed 18 feet.
	Contains risers with a width of five feet.
	Contains risers with safety strapping along the front edge.
	Temperature is thermostatically controlled at a constant 68-70 degrees Fahrenheit.
	Heating vents are fire-proofed.
	Heating vents are not connected to other classrooms.
	Heating vents are acoustically treated.
	Has easy access to fresh air.
	Air conditioning provides humidity of 40-60%.
	Air conditioning controls are in the music area.
	Has natural lighting from the east or west.
	Has artificial light that is indirect or fluorescent with a minium of 50 foot candles.
	Has its acoustic properties controlled by special wall materials, tiles, and/or draperies.
The practice rooms....	Number a minimum of three.
	Contain pianos.
	Are a minimum of 8 feet by 10 feet.
	Have soundproof doors, walls, floors, ceilings, and windows.
	Have good ventilation and adequate lighting.
The office....	Is provided.
	Size is a minimum of 10 feet by ten feet.
	Contains a desk, chairs, filing and storage equipment, secretarial desk, and telephone.
	Has a window to the rehearsal area.
	Has communication to all parts of the school.
Ancillary rooms...	Include an instrument room or facility.
	A repair facility containing a work bench, cabinets, instrument storage, tools, gas, water, and electric connections.