Austin High School and MacPhail Center for Music

Austin Public Schools joined forces with MacPhail Center for Music with support from the Hormel Foundation to create a unique model for school and community music education.

Austin High School had an existing single floor building that housed many of the school’s career tech programs. With 17,867 square feet of alterations and a 13,900 square feet second floor addition, the project created a public/private partnership. New spaces where created for Austin High School’s band, orchestra and choral students as well space for MacPhail Center for Music where local residents are served with individual and group instruction. Housing the two programs in the same facility offers opportunities to share space, resources and expertise, ultimately enhancing both programs and extending the educational reach beyond the school’s capacity.

The renovated first floor space is home to nonprofit MacPhail Center for Music and includes mulitple small, medium and large practice spaces, Individual offices and practice rooms, and administrative offices. The school and the non-profit have shared space for a percussion practice room, MIDI Recording studio with control room and a large recital room. Connecting the renovated first floor to the second floor addition is a learning stair that also serves as audience seating when opening the retractable wall of the large recital room.

Austin High School Music rehearsal space include state-of-the-art rooms for band, orchestra and choral with corresponding office, instrument, uniform and robe storage, a music library and several small practice spaces. Multiple secure entries allow school day separation between the two organizations. MacPhail’s new home on the school campus in the city’s downtown provided a natural connection to many of their students and extended family networks.

This project gives students and music educators access to best-in-class technology for music education. Acoustical designers and audio technologists consulted to allow instant recording and playback through 360-degree speakers that envelope the space. Beyond recording, the system allows the live acoustics of the room to mimic the acoustics of any performance space, from the local auditorium to the Sydney Opera House.