Facilities & Administration

Current building hours and monitor station hours can be found on the School of Music intranet (UMN login required) and School of Music website.

Students should not remain in the practice rooms outside of building hours. All classrooms must be vacated, and access cards returned to the Monitor Station before closing. Violations may result in the suspension or revocation of practice room privileges. Any costs incurred to the School of Music for an unauthorized after-hours lockout may be charged to the student.

The Student Services Office (Room 100 Ferguson Hall) service window is open Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:00pm during the regular academic session, and closed with remote service over extended University breaks (Winter Break, Spring Break). Advisors maintain both drop-in and scheduled meetings remotely and in-person. 

The School of Music rents instrument lockers to students enrolled in a School of Music instrumental ensemble, applied lessons or a music education methods course. Music majors are given priority for locker rentals, and may begin renting lockers the week before classes begin each semester. 

Complete and current information regarding lockers rentals can be found on the School of Music intranet. 

Students who have lost items in Ferguson Hall are encouraged to check with the Student Services Office in 100 Ferguson to see if the items have been recovered. Items lost in the practice room area may be returned to the Practice Room Monitor Station (room 44 Ferguson).  If items are found by cleaning or maintenance staff, the items may be brought to the Facilities Management West Bank Office, which serves as the West Bank’s Lost and Found. You can visit the office (57 Heller Hall) or call 612-624-7831 to inquire about a lost item. 

Students who wish to use the Ferguson Hall practice facilities must pay a per-semester fee in advance.  The fee varies based on a student's enrollment status and major, and a student's major will also determine what rooms they may access. After you have purchased access, you may borrow keys for the appropriate room from the Practice Room Monitor Station (room 44) for the time period you wish to practice, then return them when you are finished.  Some rooms may require a prior reservation.  You will need to be able to present your U-Card in order to borrow keys.  

Practice room users are expected to know and follow the practice room policies and the University's code of conduct.  Failure to do so will result in a loss of access without a refund of the practice facilities fee. 

To sign up for practice room access, or for information about practice room fees, the Practice Room Monitor Station open hours, and practice room policies, visit the School of Music intranet.  

IMPORTANT: You may only teach out of University facilities if your sole purpose for doing so is DIRECTLY related to a class in which you are enrolled or for which you are a Graduate Assistant.  You may not use the practice rooms, classrooms, performance spaces (indoor or outdoor), or any other space in Ferguson Hall, Lloyd Ultan Recital Hall, or Ted Mann Concert Hall to teach for personal profit except as part of your employment duties at the University. 

ALL recitals performed by our students must be approved through the Room 100 Student Services Offices to adhere to NASM standards. As such, there is a specific process associated with scheduling any recital, whether on or off campus. Please review the recital information on the School of Music intranet, where you can download the packet, which includes information about scheduling, and other pertinent information.

Almost all the public copy machines on the U of M campus are powered by your university identification card. Visit the U-Card website to put money on your U-Card. Some copy machines accept coins or cash.

On the West Bank campus, the most frequently used photocopiers can be found in Wilson Library. 

There are public copiers within the School of Music. They are in the Music Library. These machines operate using both cash and your U-Card. 

Due to high demand and specialized equipment, classrooms in Ferguson Hall require a reservation before use, and some spaces have unique reservation policies. Reservation requests can be made by completing the space reservation form on the School of Music intranet, or by contacting the Student Services office at music@umn.edu. You must receive confirmation of your reservation before you can use the space, and this may take 1-2 business days if requested online. Plan ahead!

Small Ensemble Rooms

• Any student with a valid practice room card can reserve small ensemble rooms (Rooms 81, 72, M61, and 03). 

• Rooms can be reserved up to three weeks in advance and for a maximum of 3 hours.

• Rooms must be used for a school-related group or reason (chamber ensemble rehearsal or coaching, recording, jazz combo rehearsal, composition reading, etc.)

• Music Majors may use any available small ensemble room on a first-come first-served basis, but a reservation always takes priority over an unreserved use of the space, regardless of who was there first, so a prior reservation is strongly recommended. Inquire at the Practice Room Monitor Station about available rooms.    

• Keys may be picked up at the Monitor Station (room 44) by the individual who reserved the room.  You must be able to present your U-Card to borrow keys.  

Large Ensemble Rooms (85, 90, 95, 225)

• May be reserved by TAs for assigned course purposes only (e.g.: sectionals, break-out sessions, sight-singing auditions, study sessions, etc.) may be reserved by music majors for recitals. Review the Recital Handbook located on the School of Music Intranet (z.umn.edu/musicintranet).

Classrooms 

• May be booked by music majors for recitals. Review the Recital Handbook located on the School of Music Intranet for more information.

• May be booked by music majors for rehearsals if no small ensemble rooms are available and no classes are taking place nearby. These bookings are subject to the availability of the rooms requested. Rooms reserved under this circumstance may not be reserved as a recurring reservation.

Lloyd Ultan Recital Hall

• May be reserved for curricular recitals or recital rehearsals.

• May be rented for a fee if needed for extra rehearsals, recording sessions, etc., pending hall availability.  Rental availability is subject to the recital schedule and rentals will be given lower priority than recital performances or rehearsals.  Rentals may be reserved up to three weeks in advance.

• To request a reservation of Ultan Recital Hall, complete the request from on the Recitals page of the School of Music Intranet

• For information about the features of the recital hall, procedures for recital hall use, and instructions for how to use the recording system, projector, and other technology, see the Lloyd Ultan Recital Hall User Guide

Prepared Piano 

Students performing work involving 'prepared piano' are required to consult with the School of Music Facilities and Operations Manager prior to attempting to prepare the instrument.  Failure to get approval prior to preparing a piano may result in a loss of facility access; the student may be responsible for any cost associated with damage to a piano because of a preparation that was not approved may be billed to the individual who caused the damage.  

• You will not be allowed to prepare any piano if it will cause permanent damage to the instrument and any repair required to return instruments to performance standards will be charged to your student account.

• It is the school’s prerogative to require alternate preparation methods from those prescribed by the composer and/or the use of a specific instrument that can be prepared.

• No substances can be applied directly on the strings and hands should be thoroughly washed and dried to remove any oil, cosmetics or moisture potentially harmful to strings.

• No adhesives can be applied to the dampers. You will be provided with a substitute method for identifying notes.

• When Student Services receives positive confirmation of approval you will be permitted to reserve rehearsal times.

• It is your responsibility to remove all preparation from the piano immediately after your recital or rehearsal. When all appliances are removed from the piano, it may be inspected by the piano technician.