Music Building Etiquette

By JILLIAN CHENG ‘27

I don’t think anyone ever went over the rules with me for the music building.

I started off with voice lessons at the start of prep fall. Finding a rehearsal room seemed simple. There were simply so many rooms, so I doubted there would ever be a shortage. 

I remember one of the first days I had an audition, and I strolled into the Bowld music building ten minutes early to warm up. I stood on my tippy toes to creepily stare into every single rehearsal room, where the practicing student inside would look up in horror briefly while plucking away at their guitar or playing the piano. I felt like a window peeper. 

I peeped every single roomaround the second floor. All the rooms were full. Then, I quickly realized that I was screwed. At the time, no one ever let me know that the teacher studios were open to public use unless there was a lesson actively going on. I just assumed that the students practicing there had some invisible teacher alongside them. So, I descended the stairs and found an open closet with ten or so abandoned guitars. I shut the door. And began my lip trills and scales.

I finally was able to use a rehearsal room a few weeks later. And at the time, I thought that the rooms were soundproof. After all, there’s that weird foam on the walls. I began to belt at the top of my lungs. Then, I heard the piano playing in the room next door and realized it sounded as if it were right next to me. The walls were thin, and everyone could hear me singing my heart out. 

Once I walked out, I nonchalantly swung my backpack behind me then promptly tripped and slid down the steps of Bowld.