Does UTM have space for music?
The importance of having more practice rooms available on campus.
Most students would agree that moving into residence comes with a number of unique challenges: there’s new roles, new people, and a plethora of new changes. But one change rarely accounted for, was music.
No one wants to be the roommate blasting music in their bedroom at 2 AM, or playing in the common rooms past quiet hours, but that raises a serious question: “Where, and when, do I play?”
There are a few options on campus, such as the Harmonix club room during their scheduled jam sessions, or the piano room in the Roy Ivor Residences. However, these options are limited, and ultimately hard to maneuver around the busy schedule of a university student. Another problem is that these spaces and services are closed during exam season.
Exam season is arguably the most stressful time of the year as it’s when emotions run rampant and motivations run dry. Playing music has been scientifically proven to contribute to both the mental and emotional health of students, and access to it proves difficult at the exact time most students need it the most.
In fact, some of the most notable names in medicine have published articles discussing the importance of playing instruments on brain health. For example, Harvard Medical School’s 2020 paper on the effects of listening to music listed benefits such as lowered anxiety and depression levels, increased rate of happiness, and overall benefits for cognitive function. While the study looked at a variety of people with varying uses of music in their lives, the positive effects of it seemed to increase as engagement with the music increased. In other words, playing instruments engages more of your mind than simply listening to a song. John Hopkins Medicine also cites playing instruments as a tool to increase problem-solving, memory, and quality of life.
Music is clearly instrumental to student health and wellness, so what is the issue? At first glance, the main problem would appear to be the price of making a music room. Most construction projects aren’t cheap. Ideally, if the room were to be soundproofed, that would cost anywhere from $1,000 (USD) to $5,500 (USD).
But the truth is, music spaces don’t have to be professionally soundproofed. The spaces used currently are just typical rooms that students play music in. It might be more important to increase the number of these rooms, and possibly implement a booking system such as the one used in the library or the Theatre and Drama Study rehearsal halls.
At the end of the day, creative spaces are vital for the wellness and enjoyment of students. If enough students express a need for these spaces, and collaboration and communication occurs between them and those with the power to make a real change, then maybe there can be more room for music here at UTM.
