“In planning for our new residence hall, we wanted our students to have high-quality, sound-isolated practice rooms, both individual and chamber sizes,” says Eric Bower, Senior Vice President with the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM), in Cleveland, Ohio. 

Initially, only regular SoundLok practice rooms were specified. “We later realized the rooms would be acoustically dead without VAE technology,” recalls Bower, adding that if musicians cannot receive their desired acoustical response, it makes a huge difference. Because of the high caliber of CIM’s students, the VAE technology was deemed essential and added to all 22 rooms.

According to Bower, CIM students are “elated” with the practice rooms, while also appreciating the flexibility of both individual and ensemble space.

An important project goal was providing practice room access for non-residential students. Launched in 2019, CIM’s reservation system enables students to schedule practice room time in advance. The new Wenger practice rooms each feature 24-hour keycard access; rooms are connected to CIM’s scheduling software and online room inventory.
Across campus, there are approximately 50 other dedicated practice rooms, all built-in, along with teaching studios sometimes available for student practice.