Visible Music College breaks ‘underground’ downtown

Visible Music College strives to “train and equip musicians, technicians and business professionals in skill and character for effective service in the music industry and in the church.” Founded in 2000 by Ken Steorts, the institution made a series of moves around town before finding a permanent home in 2011 at 200 Madison Ave., downtown across from AutoZone Park.
 
In a major expansion, ground was recently broken on space that will feature three fully loaded recording studios, including a mixing and mastering suite, in what will become Music Industry Underground. The facilities are currently housed in temporary space at 287 Madison Ave.
 
The school has raised $450,000 toward a goal of $500,000 in its Be Visible Campaign. Total renovations will include the housing of the label Madison Line Records on the fourth floor and a fifth-floor student center, in addition to the recording facilities.
  
“The last few pledges are coming in, and we’re confident we’ll get there,” President and Founder Ken Steorts said in a prepared statement. “It’s important that we get started now so that we can complete construction while school is not in session.”
 
The school’s fall 2013 enrollment was 126 students, with a full-time faculty of 10 and a staff of 24. The campus today includes four floors of performance, practice, classroom and administrative space.
 
The iconic building was designed by Gassner, Nathan and Browne, Architects, and built in 1972 for Commercial and Industrial Bank. Its sloping glass-paneled front creates an airy atrium and is immediately recognizable from blocks away. In 1979, it was included in the Museum of Modern Art’s exhibit of the 400 buildings which “have had a significant influence in the recent directions of architecture.”
 
The Music Industry Underground’s mixing and mastering suite will be fashioned inside the C&I Bank’s one-time vaults.