MacPhail Center for Music

Infobox Private School
name = MacPhail Center for Music


motto =
established = 1907
type = Private
religion =
head_name = President
head = Dr. David O’Fallon
city = Minneapolis
state = Minnesota
country = U.S.
campus = Urban
enrollment = 7,500
faculty =
class =
ratio =
year =
patron =
SAT =
ACT =
athletics =
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homepage = [http://www.macphail.org www.macphail.org]
ceeb =

MacPhail Center for Music is a private, non-profit music school in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is currently located in the Mills District of Downtown East in a recently opened building.Marianne Combs, [http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/09/13/macphailgroundbreaking/ MacPhail Center for Music breaks new ground] , Minnesota Public Radio, September 13, 2006.] The school has over 7,500 students, providing instruction at 45 locations outside of its downtown Minneapolis facility on more than 35 instruments and in a variety of musical styles.

History

MacPhail was founded in 1907 by William S. MacPhail, the first concertmaster of what is now the Minnesota Orchestra. Originally established as the MacPhail School of Violin, the school expanded its offerings and became the MacPhail School of Music and Dramatic Art. In need of more space, the school moved into 1128 LaSalle, a four-story building in downtown Minneapolis that, in order to meet the needs of a skeptical investor, could be easily converted into a retail/office space should the school fail. [ [http://www.macphail.org/history.html History] , MacPhail Center for Music, "Accessed May 21, 2007."] The building allowed the school to expand and offer conservatory education with college degrees, and after World War II, the GI Bill helped the school grow enrollment and offerings even further. By the death of founder William MacPhail in 1962, the school had a faculty of more than 100 and a student body of more than 3,000.

In 1966, the MacPhail family gifted the MacPhail College of Music to the University of Minnesota, which changed the name to the MacPhail Center for the Performing Arts. The school became a part of the University's extension program and the emphasis shifted from conservatory instruction to community education.Marianne Combs, [http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/09/13/macphailgroundbreaking/ MacPhail Center for Music breaks new ground] , Minnesota Public Radio, September 13, 2006.] During its time with the University, the school began trying new methods for teaching young children, and in the late 1960s introduced one of the first Suzuki method programs in the nation. In 1987, the University of Minnesota announced it would dissolve relationships with institutions that did not primarily serve college students, and in 1994 the MacPhail Center for the Performing Arts again became a private, non-profit school. In 2003, the organization changed its name to MacPhail Center for Music.

The new facility on the Minneapolis riverfront was designed by James Dayton who studied and worked with Gehry Partners. [cite news|author=Mack, Linda|title=MacPhail: a new note for the Minneapolis riverfront|url=http://www.minnpost.com/stories/2008/01/10/526/macphail_a_new_note_for_the_minneapolis_riverfront|work=MinnPost|date=January 10, 2008|accessdate=2008-01-10]

Notable alumni

*Gretchen Carlson
*Pete Docter
*Marion Ross
*James Sample
*Lawrence Welk

References

External links

* [http://www.macphail.org/ MacPhail Center for Music website]