The existing Music Building was built in 1967 to accommodate only 250 students and 18 faculty. Today the School educates over 500 students with more than 50 faculty and staff members. The phenomenal growth of the School and the desire to plan for future expansion necessitates that a new signature complex be built to service the needs of its students in the 21st century.

This new complex will be built on the west side of campus serving as a "front door" to the University off of Highland Street. It will be one of the finest on-campus music centers in the country, allowing the School of Music to continue to draw and retain the most talented faculty and students from around the world.

Memphis is music, and music is Memphis.

The Music Center will also promote the area's rich musical heritage. It will enhance the academic, operational and cultural qualities of the School of Music, while also providing the Memphis region with exceptional performance spaces and teaching laboratories, all consolidated under one roof. The Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music inspires students to connect with their musical passions as performers, educators and scholars.

This signature complex is central to the University's master plan and will include the following:

• 200,000 square feet of teaching and performance space
• 750-900 seat performance hall
• 350-seat recital hall
• 150-seat Studio Opera Theatre and Cabaret
• 50 practice rooms
• Recording studios with cutting-edge technology
• Music computer labs
• Piano labs
• Music education resource center
• Music library
• Classrooms, rehearsal rooms, and applied studios

The goals in building the new Music Center include:

• Enhancing classrooms, rehearsal, and performance experience for students and faculty
• Recruiting and retaining more top students and faculty from the U.S. and around the world
• Becoming the primary performance space on campus and a preferred venue in Memphis
• Attracting community members to the university campus for cultural enrichment and increasing community connectedness for the School of Music and the University of Memphis
• Creating a music facility that supports the School, the University, and the Community