To say that music is at the heart of Redeemer Lutheran College in Brisbane is a bold understatement. Home to a multi-award-winning music program, Redeemer is nationally respected for its music educators and offerings.
But with a glowing reputation comes a growing student body. And more students creates the need for more space.
Redeemer’s purpose-built music centre had already been expanded to hold as many music studios as possible and, by 2019, Redeemer needed even more high-quality studios.
Enter Harwyn – with our premium, acoustic controlled music pods. Here’s the story of how we supported and elevated Redeemer’s music program with our music pods that are constructed offsite and installed in a day.
The search for a swift solution
By early 2020, nearly half of Redeemer’s student body were part of its music program. And Redeemer knew that most of these budding musicians would grow with their instruments from prep to Grade 12.
Redeemer’s latest Master Plan includes a new performing arts complex, but this was going to take time to complete. Time, however, was not on Redeemer’s side. Their existing eight tutor rooms weren’t enough to meet the needs of the 400 music students and twenty itinerant music tutors.
Redeemer needed an interim solution fast.
Luckily, Redeemer’s Business Manager heard wind of Harwyn, and after some desktop research, pitched the company’s products to the school.
“We needed to expand the building without actually expanding the building,” said David, Redeemer’s Head of Performance Music.
“The fact that we could repurpose the music pods when we don’t need them for music lessons anymore was highly appealing. In the future, we can still have the pods, but use them as offices, editing suites or even counselling rooms.”
But now, two years later, the music pods are so much more than a temporary solution; they’ve inspired staff, students and even other schools.
What surprised David about Harwyn
Like any major investment in a school, there are high expectations – and many people to please.
That’s why David was initially nervous to commit to the Harwyn pods. Because it’s not just a choice that impacts him, but the entire school community.
So it was a welcome surprise when Harwyn went above and beyond the typical call of duty.
“Before we committed to the purchase, Harwyn flew me and a teacher, Christie, down from Queensland to Victoria to personally show us how other schools use their pods,” David recalls.
“I was all nerves and carried a million questions from Rochedale to Melbourne, but Harwyn’s CEO Jason was so hospitable and that put me at ease.
“It’s truly rare to be treated so respectfully. Harwyn’s confidence and transparency convinced us we were making the right decision.”
“Even during the set up,” David remembers, “Jason was upfront about how long the offsite construction process would take.”
So not long after, during a staff week, the music pods were installed in less than a day and Redeemer became the owner of not one but three Harwyn music pods.
It’s the little details that Redeemer loves
“We worked closely with Harwyn to find the best acoustic panelling. And we couldn’t be happier with how the sound proofing unfolded,” said David.
On top of all the standard Harwyn features like ample power and USB ports, Redeemer has included a digital piano and filing cabinet in all three pods. And still, they have plenty of legroom.
“Our music tutors have also dressed up the pods with curtains, cushy chairs and pillows. They’ve become special rooms that students love to learn in.”
Another bonus of the pods are the transparent glass surfaces. The abundance of natural light makes learning and working feel bright and warm.
It helps ensure safety, which is a number one priority.
Colours of magic: How Harwyn’s pods are inspiring the school’s redesign
An invaluable component of an effective education is getting students excited about learning.
And what better way to do that than with fun pops of colour – and even some colourful magic?
That’s exactly what we’ve delivered with the pods.
“Each music pod has a different coloured feature wall. So we can tell the kids they’re in the yellow room or the red room.
“It’s convenient, but also exciting for our students. We’ve loved this idea so much that we’ve redesigned our classrooms with this same colour coding idea.”
There’s also some colourful fun outside the pods.
“The pods are blue on the outside. But when the sun catches the pods at different points throughout the day, this blue shifts to light blue-green or dark blue. It creates this really cool optical illusion.
“The younger students get so excited about seeing the colours change depending on where they stand… it’s almost magical.”
Above all, the students prefer the music pods
Cultivating a positive student experience is always the overarching aim.
So the biggest win for David is how much the students rave about the pods.
“They feel like they’re missing out when they learn in other spaces,” says David.
“But it could have not gone that way. Students are unpredictable. So although we were confident, it’s never a guarantee on how they’ll react.
“We’re just thrilled that the whole school has nothing but praise for the pods.”
See more images of this project HERE.
To learn more about the benefits of offsite construction, call 1300 HARWYN (1300 427 996) or enquire now. You could have music pods installed at your school in no time at all.