Sherborne School Sherborne, United Kingdom

By maria.c

Sherborne School

Author

maria.c

Posted

Sherborne School’s new music department opened in July 2010. The facility includes a 120-seat recital hall, 17 practice rooms, two fully-equipped music classrooms, four ensemble rooms, and a state-of-the-art recording suite.

In collaboration with the architects, Sound Space Design (SSD) developed cost-effective measures to minimise sound spill from and between naturally ventilated rehearsal and teaching rooms. To allow for high-occupancy performances in the recital hall, a ventilation plant was introduced into adjacent rooms. In this way SSD was able to provide the very low noise levels in the Hall necessary for the most dynamic musical performances.

Sherborne School has been very happy with the result, particularly with the levels of isolation achieved in such a compact building (dictated by its position within a historic conservation area). Students can practice at full volume side-by-side without disturbing each other, something they had never experienced before and enjoy very much. Even a full swing band practice is inaudible in the surrounding classrooms thanks to the careful design and construction of floating concrete floors and sound isolating ceilings.

In 2015 Sherborne School was acclaimed the Best Independent School for Music – largely due to its superior facilities.