Facilities
The School of Music is situated on the northern side of Cathays Park, which not only contains the central University buildings but also, at its southern end, the City Hall, Law Courts and the National Museum of Wales, with its superb collection of French Impressionist paintings. Close to the School of Music there are the other Humanities and Social Science Schools, the Arts and Social Studies Library, the Students' Union and the Graduate Centre.
The state-of-the-art IT Suite contains both Mac and PC computers
As you approach the School of Music along Corbett Road, at the north end of Cathays Park, you will see that it is flanked to the West by Aberdare Hall, a 19th-century red-brick hall of residence for female students, and to the East, at the junction with Colum Road, by Victorian grey-stone houses (nos. 33-37) which are also occupied by the School of Music.
The main red-brick building of the School of Music, described when it was opened in 1971 as 'austerely handsome', is set back from the road. Its modernist exterior and narrow windows were designed to enhance its sound insulation. The building is offset by trees and a powerful bronze sculpture, Walk In (1966), by Dame Barbara Hepworth. The entrance to the Concert Hall is via the glass-fronted octagonal Foyer on the far left, while the central doors lead into the School of Music. The Victorian houses on the right accommodate the School's administrative offices, some of the staff rooms, the postgraduate suite, and the two research centres, CIRO and CRHIP.
The main building boasts excellent facilities which are used to the full by both students and by outside organisations who hire the Concert Hall for concerts. The School regrets that, because of high internal demand, the practice facilities are available for use only by Cardiff University students and personnel.
Opening Hours for Music Students
School of Music
Monday to Friday: 08.00 - 21.30
Saturday:
10.00 - 17.30
Sunday: Closed
Music Library (in Abedare Hall)
Monday to Friday: 08.45 - 21.30
Saturday: 10.00 - 17.30
Sunday: Closed
Special opening hours may operate during the May-June exam period.
During the vacations, hours of opening are restricted: neither the School nor the Music Library is open on Saturdays or Sundays.
Opening Hours for non-Music Students
Access to the Music Library is the same as for Music students. The School's facilities are already used extensively by Music students, but there are limited times when non-Music students may request to use the rehearsal facilities, pianos and practice rooms. Non-Music students are required to pay a fee for this access (currently £40 per semester, £70 per session) and this entitles them to use available facilities at the following times:
Monday to Friday: 8.00 - 9.00 and 16.00 - 21.30
Saturday: 10.00 - 17.30 (during semester)
Sunday: Closed
If you are interested in using the facilities, please contact us.