Displaced CSULB Musicians Now Rehearse in a Former Gym. Yes, the Shower Smells Bad and the Acoustics Are Poor, but . . . : The Bands Play On

A tuba player and two trombonists drift away from the Cal State Long Beach Symphony Orchestra during a break in rehearsal for a little practice on their own.

“It really stinks in here,” complains tuba player Jeremy Olson, 19, of his surroundings, the men’s locker room of a former aerobics gym. “It makes me feel icky every time I take a breath.”

The musicians are in a former gym at the Marina Pacifica Mall that serves as the main rehearsal area for the university’s musical performance groups while they await the repair of a recital hall whose roof caved in last year.

The 120-ton roof of the Gerald R. Daniel Recital Hall collapsed in July, 1990, closing the chief campus building for music classrooms, rehearsals and performances. Investigators blamed the mishap on designers and builders of the $6.3-million complex and ordered six other buildings closed as possible hazards.

All but two have been reopened, university spokeswoman Toni Beron said. Repairs on the recital hall are not expected to begin until next spring, following mediation among the university, architects and contractors over who will foot the bill. A new $29-million performing arts center now being built on campus will provide additional rehearsal and performance space, but not before its expected opening in the fall of 1993.

Until then, the music department has scheduled classes and performances in other campus buildings, such as the University Theater, and some performances are held at local churches.

The department also holds 13 rehearsals a week--involving more than 160 students--at the former Nautilus Aerobics Plus Fitness Center three miles off campus. Among the groups rehearsing there are the university’s 60-member symphony orchestra, 55-member wind symphony and 19-member jazz band.

Adjustments had to be made to the gym before the rehearsals could start. To begin with, music teachers said, a large mirror at the front of the room was covered to avoid distracting the musicians. Then particle board was put on the floor to prevent the carpet from “soaking up” the sounds of the woodwinds.

To students who practice there, the changes still leave a lot to be desired.

Students complain of the extra travel time to and from campus, which makes it difficult to take classes immediately preceding or following rehearsals.

And they say the building is dirty and poorly maintained.

But by far what troubles music students the most is the gym’s acoustics. “The sound is really dead,” said Richard Adkins, 26, principal violinist in the symphony orchestra. “You never get a sense of balance when you play in this room; we don’t know how we’ll sound until the week before a concert.”

Larry Curtis, a professor of music and the university’s director of bands, blames the low ceiling, which muffles sounds coming from the instruments. As a result, he said, musicians have trouble hearing each other play, making it difficult for the various instrumental sections to balance themselves according to tone and volume.

But Curtis said the hardships have helped the musicians develop camaraderie. “The adversity involved has brought the groups together,” the professor said. “There’s a better feeling of unity, a greater spirit.”

Some students admit that as tough as conditions are, they could be worse.

“We’re lucky to have a place like this,” said music major Laura Spino, 23, the orchestra’s student manager, pointing to the glass-walled office that serves as a storage area for marimbas, timpani, snare drums and chimes. “If we weren’t here,” she said, “we’d be at a local church where the acoustics would be too boomy.”

The three musicians in the shower room, though unhappy with the lingering essence of gym clothes, nonetheless found favorable acoustics for their practice. The result was rich-sounding, melodious chords that echoed among the shower heads.

“It’s pretty resonant,” said principal trombonist Nick Martin, 21. “But you wouldn’t want to play in here too long because (it makes) you sound better than you really are and that can be deceiving.”