Gateway a possibility for practice rooms

Thornton School of Music officials have confirmed that University Gateway Apartments, the new apartment complex across from campus, is being seriously considered as the new location for the school’s music practice rooms.

Harmony · Jun Won Kong, a senior majoring in piano performance practices with a professional cellist in the practice rooms of PIC. - Roland Wiryawan | Daily Trojan

Thornton students currently practice in the Music Practice and Instructional Center (PIC), but the building is slated to be demolished at the end of the year. Officials had planned to move the practice rooms to the Von KleinSmid Library, but that plan fell apart late last semester. Now, the school is searching for a space on campus that will provide ample room and meet the proper technical specifications.

Thornton and the university have not had an easy time finding possible solutions, but Thornton Dean Robert Cutietta confirmed that University Gateway is on the list.

“It’s something that we’re seriously looking at,” he said.

The university submitted plans to architects involved with University Gateway in late February and expect to hear by mid-March if Gateway will be able to offer what the Thornton School needs.

University Gateway has allotted 33,500 square feet of space for non-retail, academic use for USC on the first floor of the building, according to Kristina Raspe, associate senior vice president for Real Estate and Asset Management at USC.

PIC houses more than music practice rooms; it hosts the jazz studies program and various offices comprising five different departments. Keeping the space crunch in mind, the goal is to keep each department together respectively but not necessarily have all five departments in one facility, Cutietta said.

Some music students practice outdoors, but music students who specialize in piano or drums, for example, rely on indoor practice facilities.

Music students, most of whom had not heard that University Gateway was a potential option, had mixed opinions.

Josh Neill, a sophomore majoring in jazz studies with an emphasis in drums, said he selected his housing so he could be near PIC.

“I kind of live here. I think all the jazz majors do,” Neill said.

Though students said they thought PIC could use some renovations, most appreciate the central location of the building.

“I really don’t understand why we can’t just stay there,” said Marcus Paul, a freshman majoring in jazz studies. “Everyone uses it pretty much everyday.”

Students said they think the location of University Gateway is inconvenient. Their overall concern, however, is whether the new facility will have enough practice rooms.

“Any practice rooms are better than none,” said Kyle Mylonakis, a freshman majoring in tuba performance.