Robbins Middle School

The Issue

Because of increasing enrollment at Irving Robbins Middle School in Farmington, Connecticut, the school’s three music rehearsal rooms were quickly reaching capacity. Before long, the 65-member marching band was forced to practice in a former art room that was not acoustically suited for music.

The Challenge

With its glazed brick walls and a vaulted ceiling, it was easy to see why tests revealed that the room had a reverberation time of 4.59 seconds. Rehearsals were chaotic and far from harmonious.

The Solution

The school decided to install a combination of Class 1 fire-rated Sonex^® One Acoustic Foam Panels and Sonex^® One Hanging Baffles. Installation of the room’s acoustical treatment was simple and fast. The school’s maintenance crew covered the walls and ceiling of the art room in only six hours.

The Result

The installation reduced the room’s reverberation time by more than 66% – from 4.59 seconds to 1.5 seconds.

“Now we have an excellent rehearsal room,” says Music Instructor Robin Piertrick, “I can hear individual parts, the students can hear me, and I can even hear all the way to the drummers in the back row.”

Sonex^® One Acoustic Foam Panels and Sonex^® One Hanging Baffles are both available in a wide range of thicknesses, patterns, and surface coatings. They can be used in virtually any environment and are easy to clean with a damp cloth.