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Earl V. Moore Building (April 12, 2023) by Jooahn Yoo.
The Heart Behind Michigan's Performing Arts
The Heart Behind Michigan's Performing Arts
by Jooahn Yoo
Hidden behind a dense thicket of forest in the corner of North Campus lies the ethereal Earl V. Moore Building, home to the music program and admininstration offices of the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre, and Dance (SMTD). One of the top performing arts institutions in the country, SMTD has educated numerous renowned performers that include actor James Earl Jones and “Queen of Pop” Madonna. Constructed in 1964, the building encompasses classrooms, practice facilities, and performance venues that inspire maximum music potential.
The Earl V. Moore Building was constructed in 1964 and designed by renowned architect, Eero Saarinen (“Earl V. Moore Building Renovation”). The new facility served as a replacement for the previous school of music which was located on Central Campus (“SMTD History”). Original architecture plans for the school included an outdoor theater and three rehearsal halls, but due to budget restrictions, the project was reduced to only one performance space (“Earl V. Moore Building History”).
Born in Lansing, Michigan, Earl V. Moore completed his undergraduate (1912) and graduate studies (1914) at the University of Michigan in organ performance, according to The Grove Dictionary. In 1914, Moore was appointed as head of the organ department, later securing the position of dean in 1946 until his retirement, according to an article in UM's Bentley Historical Library. Outside of SMTD, Earl V. Moore assisted in the development of the National Association of Schools of Music, a group of almost six hundred accredited schools that establish national standards for music education ("Moore, Earl"). With Scottish and Irish origins, the surname Moore is associated with individuals that are of “proud” or “stately” character, according to Ancestry.com. The first name Earl is of Anglo-Saxon influence and is analogous to “nobleman” or “warrior” (“Earl Name”). Such characteristics reflect Earl V. Moore’s role as a music educator and his unwavering commitment to the cultivation of musical arts.
Earl V. Moore. Photo courtesy: Sinfonia.org
Since its construction, there have been several renovations to the Earl V. Moore Building. In 1985, the McIntosh Performance Space and Blanche Anderson Moore Organ Hall were added to accommodate a growing student body (Woodhouse). In 2012, an article was published by Ann Arbor News that discussed the inability of SMTD to accommodate the needs of its students. The limited availability of practice rooms and rehearsal spaces caused difficulties in planning concerts and jeopardized students’ practice time. “‘We have students that are hanging out the windows,’ said vocal professor George Shirley. ‘The practice facilities are inadequate to service the students. They have to wait in line to use the facilities, the rooms are small and they're not up to par with facilities that are being constructed now’” (Woodhouse). As a result of increasing protests, the Board of Regents authorized a $29.5-million dollar renovation to address the expansion dilemma in 2015 (Slagter). The project was responsible for the construction of a new rehearsal hall, a technology suite, and improvements to existing rehearsal and performance spaces (“U-M School of Music").
The Earl V. Moore Building’s state-of-the-art facilities and faculty make it one of the nation's top institutions for education in the arts. Without the hundreds of concerts that SMTD’s students perform every year, Ann Arbor wouldn’t have the vibrant performing arts culture it has today.
Works Cited
“2023 Best Music Schools in Michigan.” Niche, https://www.niche.com/colleges/search/best-colleges-for-music/s/michigan/. Accessed 30 Mar. 2023.
“Earl - Baby Boy Name Meaning, Origin, and Popularity.” BabyCenter, https://www.babycenter.com/baby-names/details/earl-1439#earl-name-meaning-and-origin. Accessed 30 Mar. 2023.
“Earl V. Moore Building.” University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, 12 Sept. 2022, https://smtd.umich.edu/facilities/earl-v-moore-building/. Accessed 30 Mar. 2023.
"Moore, Earl V(Incent) (27 Sept 1890)." The Grove Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford University Press. Accessed 30 Mar. 2023.
“Moore Family History.” Moore Name Meaning & Moore Family History at Ancestry.com®, https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=moore+. Accessed 30 Mar. 2023.
Photo of Earl V. Moore. "Earl V. Moore's Birthday." https://www.sinfonia.org/events/earl-vincent-moores-birthday/ Accessed 20 April 2023.
Powell, Kimberly. “What Does the Surname Moore Mean?” ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 20 Apr. 2019, https://www.thoughtco.com/moore-last-name-meaning-and-origin-1422566. Accessed 30 Mar. 2023.
“University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, Earl V....” Ennead, https://www.ennead.com/work/michigan-school-of-music. Accessed 30 Mar. 2023.
“U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance Reopens Moore Building after Extensive Renovation, Expansion.” University of Michigan News, 15 Sept. 2015, https://news.umich.edu/u-m-school-of-music-theatre-dance-reopens-moore-building-after-extensive-renovation-expansion/. Accessed 30 Mar. 2023.
Slagter, Martin. “University of Michigan Approves New $19 Million Dance School Building.” Mlive, 18 May 2018, https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2018/05/university_of_michigan_approve_5.html. Accessed 30 Mar. 2023.
Woodhouse, Kellie. “Pinched for Space: University of Michigan Music School Wants Upgrades.” AnnArbor.com, 29 Jan. 2012, https://www.annarbor.com/news/education/university-of-michigan-music-school-seeks-funding-for-facility-improvement/. Accessed 30 Mar. 2023.
Yoo, Jooahn. Exterior photograph of Earl V. Moore Building. 12 Apr 2023. Author's personal collection.
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