Imagination Hall: The Revitalized Practice Rooms at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music

The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music is a vibrant hub where jazz, classical performance, musicology, and ethnomusicology converge. Within this dynamic environment, the practice rooms stand as essential spaces where students cultivate their musical talents. Recognizing the significance of these spaces, the university has undertaken a comprehensive renovation of its practice rooms in the Herb Alpert School of Music's Schoenberg Music Building. This transformation, made possible by a generous $5 million donation from the Herb Alpert Foundation, has breathed new life into these vital areas, renaming them Imagination Hall and equipping them with state-of-the-art facilities.

The Heartbeat of Musical Practice

The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music is a hive of activity, with classes, lessons, and performances occurring daily. However, the practice rooms are arguably the busiest spaces. Open seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to midnight on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekends, these rooms are in constant demand by students from every department. In an average year, they host over 180,000 practice sessions, highlighting their critical role in the musical education of UCLA students.

A Generous Gift Sparks Transformation

The Alpert Foundation's $5 million donation underscores its long-standing commitment to the university's music school. This gift enabled UCLA to renovate the 46 practice rooms in the Schoenberg Music Building, which had not been fully refurbished since their construction in 1955. The renovation project, an ambitious undertaking, commenced in the summer of 2022 and culminated in the reopening of 49 practice rooms in Fall 2024.

Herb Alpert, the legendary musician and music executive whose visionary $30 million gift created the school of music, emphasized the importance of practice rooms in musical development. "People tend to think of magic as happening inside the concert hall," he said. "Well, that magic comes from thousands of hours in the practice rooms. This is where musicians tap into their imagination and experiment with new musical ideas."

State-of-the-Art Enhancements

The renovated practice rooms, now known as Imagination Hall, have been upgraded with advanced acoustics, modern LED lighting, and data ports for wired connections. These enhancements create state-of-the-art environments that foster learning and creativity for UCLA music students.

Eileen Strempel, inaugural dean of The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, emphasized the importance of these spaces for students' musical development. "These are the spaces where students pursue their musical passions," she said. "This is where musicians refine their techniques and hone their craft. It is extremely important to have warm and welcoming spaces for our students where they can nurture their artistic imaginations. It’s a testament to the generosity of Herb Alpert and his wife Lani Hall that they want their philanthropy to benefit the students directly."

Navigating Acoustic Challenges

UCLA Facilities spearheaded the renovation project, working closely with Walters-Storyk Design Group (WSDG), an award-winning architectural acoustic consulting, design, and A/V integration engineering firm. WSDG designed the acoustics implemented in the renovated practice rooms, drawing upon their expertise in designing media facilities worldwide. They had previously worked on renovations for the school’s 130-seat auditorium, Lani Hall, as well as rehearsal spaces for band, orchestra, and choir.

Joshua Morris, partner and chief operating officer at WSDG, noted the unique complexity of renovating nearly fifty individual rooms. "There are two separate wings of practice rooms in the Schoenberg Music Building," he said. "It was obvious from the beginning that the two wings were from different eras. Each wing presented its own set of acoustic challenges."

The south wing featured rectangular rooms with acoustic ceiling tiles (ACT) and a slightly angled interior wall, an important acoustical feature that helps reduce flutter echo and the "comb filter effect." In contrast, many rooms in the north wing lacked the angled interior wall and had glue-on ceiling tiles and insufficient or damaged acoustic panels.

Morris explained that the practice rooms were "serviceable, but showing their age." Tests revealed that sound absorption was not ideal, especially for lower frequencies. Acoustical treatments were carefully calibrated to the needs of each room, with rooms designed for percussion receiving more attention to sound absorption at lower frequencies.

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Impact on Students

The renovated practice rooms have had a significant impact on students. Michelle Yang, a French horn performance major, noted that "the sound is dryer in the new practice rooms," which is beneficial for her practice technique. "The dryness helps me hear when my articulation is not crisp enough. It makes me a better player."

Austin Ali, a fifth-year M.A. and Ph.D. student in composition, emphasized the importance of practice rooms for his creative process. "For me, the practice rooms are an important place to create," he said. "So much of my composition work depends on having access to a piano, which allows me to improvise and try out musical ideas. I can’t just sit at a desk and write music; it has to be a process of play and discovery."

A Unified Aesthetic

The renovation project incorporated a modular acoustic approach with a unified aesthetic. Elegant wooden paneling, matching the acoustic treatments in the recently renovated Lani Hall, was used to bring a sense of consistency and unity. New LED lighting was integrated into the ceiling treatments for aesthetics and modern energy efficiency.

Access and Regulations

There are 45 practice rooms in the Schoenberg Music Building. School of Music majors and minors can access these rooms by submitting a practice room sign-up form and paying a quarterly fee. Reservations are required, and specific rules are in place to ensure the proper use and maintenance of the rooms. These rules include displaying Bruin cards in the window, prohibiting food and drink (aside from water), and placing personal items on the provided hooks and shelves.

Additional Resources

The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music offers a variety of resources to support its students, including the Evelyn and Mo Ostin Music Center and Schoenberg Music Building. These facilities provide access to the latest advances in music technology, research, and pedagogy. The center includes a state-of-the-art recording studio, the Mike Curb Music & Technology Lab, editing rooms, a large ensemble room, a café, and teaching studios and faculty offices. Schoenberg Music Building houses Lani Hall Theater, Schoenberg Hall, the Henry Mancini Media Lab, the Ethnomusicology Archive, a keyboard lab, a computer lab, classrooms, practice rooms, and ensemble rooms.

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Individual Instruction Fee

The School of Music assesses an "individual instruction fee" to sustain its large offering of individual studio lessons. This fee helps cover the costs of hiring temporary and studio faculty. The Financial Aid Office takes the fee into account when establishing a student’s loan package.

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