Monday, some 1,600 music students will begin showing up at the Carter Center for Music Education in East Providence, taking lessons in the classics, jazz and rock. The new 35,000-foot facility is part of the Rhode Island Philharmonic’s new headquarters on Waterman Street, site of the former Meeting Street School. The center will house the orchestra’s educational arm.

The project has been in the works since March 2007, when the orchestra announced a $12-million capital drive. About $7 million of that went to the cost of purchasing the building and renovating it.

During construction the roof was raised to create four recital and rehearsal halls. The new facility also boasts 31 private teaching studios, and rooms dedicated to music therapy, early childhood education and the Suzuki method. There is a wing set aside for jazz, rock and blues.

The center is named for John and Letitia Carter, longtime Philharmonic supporters, whose $2-million challenge grant helped make the project possible.

To register for classes call (401) 248-7064 or log on to www.riphil.org.