Music Department renovations complete, to benefit students this fall

INA, Ill. (July 23, 2013) - Students in Rend Lake College’s Music Department will have one more thing to sing about this fall: completed renovations and upgrades to several aspects of the department, thanks to the hard work and donations gathered by the Rend Lake College Foundation from alumni, faculty, staff and music enthusiasts in the community.

Hopes were that the 2012 Music Campaign would raise $50,000 for the renovations; the final total in excess of $100,000 more than doubled that amount.

RLC Foundation Shawna Manion said of her donors, “I believe the reason this project was so well received was due to the passion of the donors in the area of music. They understand the concept of ‘a world without music,’ and they understand that RLC’s music department plays an essential role in bringing the actual ‘community’ to our community college. When patrons attend plays and concerts, they’re stepping foot on our campus, when otherwise, they might not.”

Upgrades to the Music Department included overhauling both the facility itself and the equipment used by students, including remodeling the practice rooms, upgrading music rooms, and purchasing expensive equipment such as risers, lockers and a library system.

“Our goal for this project was to make the music area a space that RLC can be proud of, a space that will both engage students and encourage prospective students to call RLC home,” said Manion. “By providing a beautifully-finished, newly-remodeled area for rehearsals and practice, we are able to enhance RLC performances, and the product that we put out for the public. At the same time, we are able to show our local communities that we continue to value music, musical degrees, and our students that find their passion in the arts.”

Sara Alstat, RLC Music Associate Professor, said the renovations and upgrades will be a big benefit to students starting this fall. “We will have lots of instruments for the students to learn on and we can now loan the instruments out to students. They’ll be able to practice in our newly renovated rehearsal rooms and practice rooms,” said Alstat.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, musician and singing professions are expected to increase by 10 percent between 2010 and 2020, adding 17,900 jobs to the growing market. The same is also reported for music directors and composers with a 10 percent increase, and for music teachers with a 2 percent increase.

Over the past year, more than 700 students have enrolled in music classes of various types at RLC; more than 1,200 individuals have attended dinner theatres, concerts and other musical events; and nearly 1,500 people went to musicals and other theatrical events. Every one of these individuals will be affected by the renovations to the Music Department at RLC.

This year, Alstat said the Music Department is already planning a concert in both the fall and spring semesters, as well as a musical in the spring. Performances also will be scheduled throughout the year, such as for commencements and annual dinners and events.

For more about the music programs at RLC, visit online at www.rlc.edu/aca/music, or contact Alstat at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1817, or at alstats@rlc.edu.

Additional photos of the Music Department can be found here.