FLINT INSTITUTE OF MUSIC RENOVATION/EXPANSION PROJECT
Project Description:
A $4 million grant from the C. S. Mott Foundation, and anonymous donations of $3 million helped kick-off fund raising efforts for the $8.2 million renovation/expansion project for the Flint Institute of Music (FIM). Construction began in November of 2003 for the 26,000 square foot addition to the existing building. The remaining building was completely renovated to include classrooms specially designed for everything from music lessons for babies as young as six weeks old, to a piano lab with more than a dozen keyboards for aspiring young musicians.
By the summer of 2004, the Flint School of Performing Arts office moved to its new home at the heart of the building. In the fall, the new wing was ready for students. Renovations to the existing building were completed by the end of the year.
Brightly lit preschool rooms for the FIM’s smallest students now open onto an enclosed educational courtyard. A large rehearsal space features movable risers and acoustical wall treatments designed with both adult and children’s choirs in mind. Dance studios now accommodate large rehearsals for Nutcracker and the Joffrey Ballet. Angled walls in teaching studios create the right acoustical setting for making music.
Background:
Because of the popularity of FIM’s programs, the building was filled beyond capacity. Percussion lessons were held on a loading dock and broom closets became make-shift offices. More than 200 students a year were turned away simply because the FIM didn’t have room.
Organization Background:
The Flint Institute of Music has long been a center for music and dance in the Flint area. Programs like the Flint Symphony’s classical concerts and the wide variety of music lessons offered through the Flint School of Performing Arts draw more than 200,000 people each year. The FIM is one of the top 20 centers for music and dance in the United States.
The FIM also fills a critical void as many school districts have been forced to cut arts programming due to budget cutbacks. More than one-third of FIM’s total enrollment of 3,000 students is directly related to outreach programs in the community. The FIM reaches into the community with more than two dozen programs like Select Your Energy and Move, a creative movement program in Flint Housing Centers, and music and movement classes for all Genesee County Head Start students.
For Additional information Contact:
Flint Institute of Music
1025 E. Kearsley Street
Flint, MI 48503
(810) 238-1350 www.thefim.org
