At The University of Alabama, expansion is a part of life, almost as much as winning national championships.  But one area that had not seen expansion recently was the Moody Music Building, which has not been expanded since its opening in 1988. 

This past year, a brand new building was built right next to Moody to be used for the UA Band programs.

The brand new facility is part of a three step expansion for UA Band facilities. The first step was the brand new Butler Field, which was renovated into a state-of-the-art turf field. The expansion project will culminate with a brand new parking garage, where the southeast commuter lot will add some much needed space for the Million Dollar Band to store its equipment.

Ken Ozzello, director of Bands, said that the planning and development had been long in the making. 

“We embarked on this project in the last eight years,” Ozello said. “The whole idea got forward motion because of facilities built at other SEC schools such as Mississippi State, South Carolina, and universities similar in size to UA.”

The new building was approved by the board of trustees only a year and a half ago, and just had its open house this last Friday.

While Butler Field was created exclusively for the Million Dollar Band, the new building adjacent to Moody will serve as practice space for all UA Band performance groups. 

“When you have the proper tools that you need, you’re able to be more efficient and more productive,” Ozzello said. “It also helps the recruiting process, because now we have a brand new facility to show people through during visits.”

Kayla Sisco, one of the four MDB drum majors, was very excited to see the new developments come to the band properties.

 “It’s been a game changer, because we can actually practice and rehearse even if it’s pouring rain,” Sisco said. 

For Sisco and many other MDB members, locker rooms were an important improvement that came with the new building. In addition to providing a place to change into their uniforms, students can also store their instruments in the new facility. 

“We’ve been very thankful for such a great venue. Having a place to gather gives us a sense of community, it’s definitely brought us closer together,” Sisco said.