Facilities

There are a range of facilities available to facilitate both group and ensemble practice and performance. The majority of these can be found in the four main Music Office buildings:

• Knightley
• Clayden
• Elmbrook Cottage (The Bunker)
• Kay House Duryard

Membership

The Music Office charges an annual membership fee of £30, which entitles members to use of the music buildings listed above. This charge is paid, even if a student joins several music societies. As a member you are able to use the practice rooms and borrow instruments or sound equipment. Music Office events (and some ExTunes ones) frequently have discounts for cardholders also.

A Music Card can be purchased either from the University's Online Store and then collected from the Music Office in Knightley, or you can come to the office and pay using cash or cheque (made payable to 'University of Exeter'). The Music Office is open for student contact between 13:00 and 17:00 each weekday. 

Upon joining, members are issued with a Music Office card to show payment of the joining fee has been received. We ask that all members carry their Music Office card with them when they are on Music premises. This is purely to monitor the access to the Music Office and ensure that only fee paying members use the facilities.

Access to Knightley and Kay House is now by a swipe card system requiring students and staff members to use their University ID card to gain access. Only holders of the new Music Office card will have their University Card activated for the Knightley Swipe Card system. To have your UniCard enabled as a swipe card for Knightley we need your Student/Staff ID No. (printed above the barcode) AND your Card No. (printed beneath the barcode), so please bring your UniCard with you when purchase your Music Card.

Practice facilities for more unusual/less portable instruments

Grand Piano

The University owns a number of Grand Pianos, including two Steinways and a Broadwood Concert Grand. These are located in ensemble rooms which can also be booked for individual practice.

Harpsichord

There are two harpsichords and a spinet located in Knightley. For booking/tuning/learning to tune or borrowing, please contact the Director of Music's Office.

Organ

• Practice Organ with full size pedal board is located in Clayden Ensemble Room
• Chapel 2 Manual Organ is available with permission from the Lazenby Chaplain,
  Clifton Graham: C.G.Graham@exeter.ac.uk

Other opportunities in the local area include:

• St Michael and All Angels, Mt. Dinham
• Mary Arches Church 
• Crediton Parish Church
• St Margaret's, Topsham

The University Organ teacher is Paul Morgan, the Exeter Cathedral Organist. He usually teaches on the Cathedral organ.

There are organ scholarships available in addition to the University Music Scholarships.

Harp

Our full size Concert Salvi Harp is located in Knightley and can be played and booked by Music Card holders with permission from the Director of Music's Office.

Orchestral percussion

Percussion instruments, including a marimba and xylophone, are located in Kay House and can be booked by Music Card holders with permission from the Director of Music's Office.  

Amplified/band/drum practice

No amplified music may be practised in Clayden.  Very low amounts of amplification may be used (i.e. small jazz/amplified folk), by arrangement, in Knightley, and there is a silent practice kit located in Practice Room 3 (You will need your own sticks). Elmbrook Cottage is available for live band practice and may be booked via the Director of Music's Office. The Cornwall House Band Practice Room is also available, and is run by Campus Bands.  Please contact them for details about booking.

The Amp Room in Kay House offers Music Card holders a soundproof environment in which to practice live amplified music. There is an online booking system for reserving a practice session in the Amp Room. Please advise the Assistant to the Director of Music when you make your first reservation, as access priorities will need to be set to your UniCard.

Borrowing instruments

A Music Card entitles members to borrow University instruments at no additional charge. They are all microchipped against the possibility of theft, but we ask students borrowing an instrument for an extended time to list it on their residence contents insurance as if it was their own. If you learned on a county or school instrument and do not have your own, please contact us directly even if you do not see the instrument you have learned on the list below.

A Salvi Concert Harp and two drumkits are available for practice in the Music practice areas, and may borrowed for gigs/concerts with permission.

Please contact the Assistant to the Director of Music with queries about borrowing instruments: M.Barretto@exeter.ac.uk / Tel: 01392 723814. An Instrument Loan Form will need to be completed by anyone borrowing an instrument and counter signed by a member of staff from the Music Office, or by Andy Tyrrell, the Technical Gear Coordinator at294@exeter.ac.uk

Studio/VJ gear

Sound Engineering

There are Music Scholarships available specifically for sound engineering, and opportunities for anyone interested to learn how to set up a mixing desk. It is possible to gain considerable experience recording the various bands and ensembles in the University. Music Week also contains an introduction to Sound Engineering, and there will be workshops during the year.

Borrowing gear

There are several complete sets of PA gear, appropriate to various different venues and ensembles. There are also various mixing desks and recording equipment that can be borrowed with permission.  Please contact the Director of Music's Office for further information: M.Barretto@exeter.ac.uk / Tel: 01392 723814 or Andy Tyrrell, the Technical Gear Coordinator at294@exeter.ac.uk