Exclusive: Crisis at Curtis as practice rooms are shut

Students at the Curtis Institute of Music are having a midterm meltdown after the Dean ordered the practice rooms to be locked after an outbreak of vandalism.

Here’s the notice that went out from the Dean’s office:

All Students:

[President of Student Council] wrote last week on behalf of Student Council asking that the recent Lenfest Hall practice room vandalism stop. Kudos to him and his council colleagues for taking the lead on this issue.

Unfortunately, three more instances of vandalism occurred overnight—a mirror and thermostat lock box being ripped off the wall/damaged and lipstick found on the acoustic paneling in another room. Any purposeful damage to our facilities is disappointing, but what has transpired over the last two weeks—the number of rooms damaged—is abhorrent. All Lenfest Hall practice rooms are now locked. They will remain locked until the person(s) responsible for the damage come forward or I receive credible information concerning who may have done this. You may contact me, [Associate Dean of Student Affairs] or [Building Manager] if you know something of which we should be aware.

A student tells us: ‘This is the busiest time of the semester for us. We have a composer’s concert coming up, a concert cycle to play the following week, and numerous student chamber groups and outside engagements for a lot of us.’

Can’t they just instal video cameras to catch the vandals? Collective punishment has no place in a modern conservatoire.