Mississippi Valley State University’s band hall recently got a makeover designed to make it more comfortable with better sound.
The walls were treated and painted, and the floor tile was replaced with carpet, said Devanon Fitzgerald, MVSU’s acting band director.
Electrical outlets and LED lighting were also added, and four big-screen televisions will be installed in the coming weeks to be used for video presentations.
The renovations for the band hall, which is in the fine arts building, begin in mid-January and were finished last week, Fitzgerald said.
The improvements make the site more comfortable and homelike, he said: “You can perform better when it feels like a home.”
The carpeted flooring is especially useful because it will help keep sounds within the band hall. With the tile flooring, the music had a hollow or echoing sound, Fitzgerald said.
The university’s band students, who number about 80, had their first practice in the renovated hall Monday.
“They are very happy for getting this room,” Fitzgerald said. “They’re very appreciative of the sound. With the sound different, it’s beneficial to them because they get to hear themselves more, and if they hear themselves more, they can make themselves better band members.”
The band program was started in the 1960s. Fitzgerald said the building that houses the band hall is at least 30 years old.
- Contact Gerard Edic at 662-581-7239 or gedic@gwcommonwealth.com.
