Field Notes III

On Sunday May 16: The Lamont School
At 7:14 p.m. on Sunday, May 16 I approached the Lamont School of Music. From the outside, it looked the same as it always had: huge slabs of gray brick, impressive architecture, and gold plated signs. In spite of this, I still expected to be surprised at the things I found there. This was a recon mission. I went on a day when students were not there and there was not an event going on just so I could see the building for itself. This was going to be fun.
At 7:20 p.m. I decide to start creeping around on the second floor of the school and see what I find. There were bulletin boards everywhere that featured flyers for senior recitals, junior recitals, statewide concerts, and upcoming local shows. I was also pleasantly surprised to find the professors mailboxes as well as pencil sharpeners that were mounted and shining in the hallways of the Lamont School. I also saw small classrooms that couldn’t host more than 20 students and came complete with a musical staff on the board. Just like in the movies.
At 7:27 p.m. I work my way down to the first floor. Here, are the practice rooms for the percussion instruments, as well as a few recital halls. There is a small one that is simply labeled “Instrumental Rehearsal” and a larger, more popular one called William’s Recital Hall a.k.a. Flo’s Underground. I hear the sound of a diligent music student practicing on the drum set, and I chuckle when I hear someone practicing a xylophone. I smile in reminiscence at the lightly colored wood music lockers. This space is the most familiar one to me.
At 7:32 p.m. I make my way up to the second and then the third floor. I was amazed at how specific it was. Harp, oboe, and flute. There were also offices for the GTA’s and of course, more bulletin boards. I hear the voices of students chatting with each other as they take the stairs down to the main floor and I tense up. Even though I was doing nothing wrong, creeping does make one stand on edge. The whole time, I was afraid I would get caught. It is quite silent on this floor and the faculty lounge is empty. I also can’t help but notice how dense each place feels. It feels as though the carpet was thick and heavy and in each room, it felt air tight. I think I even felt slightly claustrophobic, or maybe that was my paranoia of getting caught that was getting to me.
At 7:40 p.m. I take the stairs to the fourth floor and am pleasantly surprised to find the music library. Unfortunately, it was closed, but I saw that faculty and students could borrow scores of music, dvds, and books. On the fourth floor, there was also the piano lab that hosted students who needed to practice music compositions or work through a song. I was also pleasantly surprised to find the classic guitar studio on this floor.
At 7:50 p.m. Onto the fifth floor I went and I have never heard such a constructive mess. Students practicing flutes, clarinets, piano etc. I had the opportunity to go into a practice room and the concrete box with the piano, wooden bench, mirror, and window was not necessarily inspiring in and of itself. The only thing that would inspire me if I were there would be to practice as perfectly, efficiently, and quickly as I could just so I could get out of there. However, the view from the fifth floor window was gorgeous. As I wandered on the floor, I saw something surprising and disheartening. There were signs on several of the doors that said “Practice rooms to be used by current Lamont students and faculty for practicing at all times. Anyone who utilizes this space for anything else will be charged with trespassing.” It surprised me because I was told that non music students were able to use the practice rooms and because it was so stern and serious and not at all what I expected to see. Didn’t they think the keypad on some of the doors was enough? Also, on the fifth floor is a student lounge complete with lockers and a microwave. (Late night snack anyone?) The fifth floor lounge also had a rose window that hosts stunning views of the city of Denver. While standing there, I wanted to write a song myself. Next to the rose window, there was an inscription that said “The rose has always been the symbol of an exceptional performance.” I felt that this statement was quite appropriate for Lamont. Not because it is a music school, but because I have seen my fair share of exceptional performances.
At 8:07 I finally leave the music school. I walk out on the second floor of the music school, at the west entrance past the Bryron Flex Theatre. I walk out and see a huge stone statue of a man and woman and what looks like a thief. I am saddened that there is no description of this outside. I look up, and above the doors I see several quotes engraved on the slate structure. My favorite of these is the quote by William Shakespeare that states, “If music is food, then let me have in excess. Play on.” I leave feeling quite knowledgeable about the school and I feel a bit closer to it as well. Maybe it is because my familiarity with it expanded after exploring each floor, or maybe because I finally saw it for everything it has to offer. We will see.
What I saw truly confirmed that the Lamont School is a place that is meant to educate and inspire. It is a place that is a “second home” to the music students and a place where “family” can be formed. Lamont is a space that benefits the community in that there is always something that students are able to participate in. It is a space that is open for everyone to enjoy their favorite kinds of music and a space for music students to perform for their peers. The Lamont School is more than DU’s token cultural institution; it is a place that brings color and accessibility to the fine arts to the campus.