The Caribou High School Music Building was established to promote music education throughout Northern Maine. Numerous studies have shown that a music education leads to stronger individuals both academically and socially. Knowing these facts first hand, students at Caribou High School took matters into their own hands and created a non-profit to address the numerous issues that Northern Maine faces musically, with the lack of a proper music center. The objective of the Caribou High School Music Building Fund is to both promote the benefits of a music education and provide the best education possible for our music students in Caribou and throughout Aroostook County by providing community members a music facility which will provide the tools to strive musically.

Once the music center is built, it will remedy numerous limitations that currently afflict Caribou High School. Below are just a few of these limitations:

The Band
   › The current room was built to accommodate only fifty students.
   › The square footage needed for the ninety member band is over 2,800 square feet. The current room is only 1,400 square feet. Thus, musicians in the room do not have the individual moving space and air volume that is recommended in order to allow for proper traffic and sound flow.
   › Five to ten minutes of the band period is wasted each day because it takes time for the band to organize itself. In order for a student to get from one side of the room to the other, when all band members are present, the student must leave the room and return through a different entrance.
   › Practically all storage for the high school music program is within the band room. There is not enough room for all of the instruments to be stored on shelves, leaving many of them on the floor.
   › All marching band equipment is placed in the orchestra pit under the Caribou Performing Arts Center stage, which makes accessing that equipment difficult and time consuming.
   › Sound quality is an integral part to playing well as a group; however, the current conditions are not conducive to the proper study of music. The poor acoustics make it difficult for musicians to hear all of the instruments within the room.
   › The department sheet music is stored in the band room. However, there is not enough space for filing cabinets to hold it all. Thus, the music is disorganized and it can be difficult to find the proper sheet music at times.
   › Students are unable to practice individually. The only place and time to practice an instrument at the school is in the band room during study halls. There is usually more than one musician practicing at a time, making it difficult to concentrate. If a flute is practicing at the same time as a trumpet, the flute can be easily overpowered.

The Chorus
   › The chorus practices in the Caribou Performing Arts Center, which is a great working environment; however, they are frequently displaced. The CPAC is constantly being used for different events and performances, and consequently, during that time the chorus must find temporary accommodations.
   › When displaced, the chorus either practices in the gym lobby, the library, or they are not able to convene.

The Strings
   › The strings practice in the Athletic Training Room, which creates problems for both the athletic department and the strings.
   › The room is filled with athletic equipment and is a long walk from the band room, where the musicians must store their instruments.
   › If the Athletic department needs the space, the string ensemble is displaced to the CPAC entry way. This is a distraction for both the chorus and the strings, as the sound easily carries.

The Caribou Performing Arts Center
   › The band room does not belong only to the music department. It also serves as the Green Room for most Performing Arts Center events.
   › This is a major problem because the band must constantly move all of its equipment for these groups.
   › Because CPAC groups also have access to the band room, the music equipment is open to being used, damaged, or stolen by anyone who passes through.
   › The CPAC is crunched for space backstage. There is a very narrow hallway that leads from the band room to the stage, which creates problems for two way traffic.
   › The CPAC doesn't have the space to move large pieces of equipment or props, which limits performance capabilities.