Blueprint: 100 is Already Making Its Mark at the Cleveland Institute of Music

The proof is in the plan. And in the 36 newly-refurbished practice rooms at the Cleveland Institute of Music. 

CIM students returned to campus spring semester to find 36 upgraded practice rooms, addressing a major need outlined in Blueprint:100, the Institute’s strategic plan for positioning CIM and its students for continued success well into the 2020s.  

Launched in December 2017, part of Blueprint:100 called for investing in tangible improvements to the student experience. Revamping the practice rooms was Job No. 1. Originally scheduled to be completed in the next five years, the project was finished in less than two.  

“The practice rooms are so much better now,” said pianist Adam Kim, a second-year master’s student. “The rooms seem ‘softer’ to me, with nowhere near the noise we could hear previously from other students practicing. It’s much easier to focus on the sound instead of everything else going on around us.”  

Violinist Rebecca Benjamin, also a second-year master’s student, agreed. 

“The sound level in the rooms is much more tolerable now,” said Benjamin. “We can now practice at appropriate levels that equal concert and audition levels, meaning we don’t have to soft pedal everything we practice in those rooms anymore.”  

The original timeline for installation was over three years (12 rooms per year), according to Eric Bower, senior vice president, capital projects and strategy at CIM.  

“We had the opportunity to address several issues in one year,” Bower said. “We painted, replaced the old lamps with LEDs and installed state-of-the-art acoustical panels in all 36 basement practice rooms. And thanks to our great maintenance crew, everything was completed by December 2018.” 

CIM also opened the redesigned Student Lounge last fall.