“We are at home.”
This is how doctoral student Raul Dominguez describes the spirit and function of the newly opened 64,000 square foot expansion of the Imig Music building at CU Boulder College of Music.
I couldn’t agree more.
In addition to instilling a more welcoming sense of place and place, our $ 57 million expansion enhances the college’s position as a national leader in comprehensive music education, performance, composition. and research.
As we innovate for the future by developing what I call the ‘universal musician’, students now have access to spaces dedicated to our musicians’ wellness program and our music entrepreneurship center, as well as access to the Waltz Music Library and the American Music Research Center. – one of the largest and most important musical research collections in the country. Our expanded facility also includes the choral department of the Macky Auditorium, where the rehearsal spaces had become too small and acoustically difficult, as well as space for the theater and dance department. And our new classrooms and a state-of-the-art recording studio create new opportunities for interdisciplinary partnerships and inter-campus collaborations, broadening the definition of art for our students and faculty.
The upgraded Imig building has already improved learning and performance experiences for our students by accelerating our momentum to leverage various technologies in a way that elevates the College of Music’s offerings far beyond our immediate campus community. With new spaces and tools for learning and performance, we are not only expanding the scope and range of what is possible as academics, composers and performers, we are also adding to the skills of our students and leading the way. to greater diversity, equity and inclusion in everything we do.
Of our 330 undergraduates, 24% are pursuing a second degree outside of music (dual degree) – a percentage that I hope will increase as the College of Music places more emphasis on preparation. of our students to the challenges and opportunities that await them beyond our rooms. As you might expect, with the COVID-19 pandemic as an accelerator, registrations for our Certificate programs in Arts Administration, Music Entrepreneurship, Music Technology, Music Theory, and Singing Health are on the rise. the rise.
Our building expansion further improves the college’s ability to meet demand from non-music majors for increased course offerings and additional practice facilities, and new concert spaces create additional opportunities to connect with our community. .
What a difference a year makes
Despite the budget cuts linked to the pandemic, changes in university behavior and home economics, changes in ticket buying behavior and the currently depressed demand for cultural events, the technological demands for the distance learning and performance, generalized anxiety and other lingering challenges, COVID-19 has also accelerated our momentum towards increased digital engagement with many positive impacts, including on our environment. And with the return of college to a more traditional in-person experience with COVID-19 security protocols firmly in place, we have pivoted and deftly shifted from distance learning and experiences to flexible learning and experiences and in person.
As I review and redefine leadership metrics relevant to the College of Music with open eyes – to expand the diversity and representation of students and faculty, strengthen student-centered innovation, better support the development of our dedicated educators and rethinking our programming, repertoire and other activities through the lens of inclusiveness – I believe the future of art lives here. And that our collective recovery – with an emphasis on transparency, empathy, and mental and physical well-being with every step – is a stepping stone to a brighter and more beautiful future.
Meet at Imig and Macky.
John S. Davis is Dean of the Boulder College of Music at the University of Colorado
