A Place to Practice in Brooklyn?

[Tubacca]

I'll be visiting family and friends in Brooklyn this weekend but still need to practice for a couple of hours a day for an upcoming recital. My girlfriend is thrilled about this. Any Tubenetters know of a school or church that's cool about borrowing a room? I'm also willing to pay a reasonable fee just so I can get it done. Any advice would be appreciated!

[bighonkintuba]

Brooklyn Conservatory of Music on 7th Avenue in Park Slope:
http://www.bqcm.org/" target="_blank

At one time (not sure about now), they allowed Conservatory students to rent practice rooms for a few bucks. Call to see if they will can acommodate non-students. The rooms are not sound-isolating and the pre-college lesson program is very busy, so I doubt that rooms would be available during after school hours. Morning is probably best. Fair warning: street parking in that neighborhood is as bad as it gets. There is a parking garage on Union Street between 6th and 7th Avenues (4-5 blocks away). The school is a few blocks from the 7th Avenue (at Flatbush Avenue) and Grand Army subway stations.

The Conservatory also sponsors the Brooklyn Brass Fest:
http://www.brooklynbrass.org/" target="_blank

Velvet Brown is apparently performing this year. Sometimes clicking on Band, then Past Events reveals this; sometimes it doesn't. Web site is wonky.

[Tubacca]

Wow, this is exactly what I was looking for. I owe you a Brooklyn style micro craft brew, thanks!

[bighonkintuba]

n.p. I took lessons there in the late 90s/early00s, so things may have changed.

[bort]

In NY, "a few hours per day" is called "rent." Too bad it's winter, or you could just hang out in a park and play during the day (I think playing outside is also a great practice tool).

Hope the Brooklyn Conservatory works out for you. Wish I had some other ideas, but 1) in 7 years, I rarely ever went to Brooklyn, and 2) everyone I know just practices in their apartment. I can't remember the laws about practicing, but my apartment lease is very liberal about musical instrument practice -- there's definitely a cutoff time (maybe 9pm?), but other than that, they can't not let you practice. You might not make friends with your neighbors, but it wouldn't be breaking the lease.

My tuba playing was never a problem, not was the constant playing of a trombone grad student-turned-pro, as well as countless violin players.

[bighonkintuba]

You might also try Long Island University (downtown Brooklyn; parking garages; very easy access by subway) or Brooklyn College/CUNY as they have music programs (not sure if they have practice rooms) and might accommodate a visiting musician.

edit: and (duh...): The Brooklyn Academy of Music (also downtown Brooklyn)

[hup_d_dup]

Tubacca, it might be helpful to be a bit more specific about where you are staying. Brooklyn is a big borough (by itself, it has roughly the same population as Chicago) and it can take some time to get from one place to another. The locations recommended above may be quite some distance from where you are staying.

Brooklyn has been called "The Borough of Churches." If the people you are staying with are members of a parish, you may be able to get access to a decent practice space very near to where you are staying.

Hup

[ArnoldGottlieb]

Michiko studios in midtown Manhattan rents practice rooms by the hour. Ii seem to remember Smash studios on 26th doing that too.

[ginnboonmiller]

Where in Brooklyn? There are bunches of places, from sweaty punk rehearsal spaces (cheap and no one is listening) to fairly deluxe accomodations. BCM is a good deal, call them early because they fill up, and prepare to be warmed up, practiced, and out by around 2 PM latest, because they fill up with lessons and classes after school lets out.

There's also Complete Music Studios in Prospect Heights, Jack in Clinton Hill, and a few rock oriented but totally usable spaces in Williamsburg. Just don't expect to get a room for free.

Also consider using whatever apartment you're staying in. In most circumstances, folks are totally fine with the sound of a tuba player, and the law protects you to practice until around 10:30 at night (best to use reason over the law, though).

[bort]

Whatever rules are there are loosely enforced, and aimed primarily at safety, ensuring that permitted performers in high traffic areas can do their thing, and to minimize annoyance caused by really crappy/intrusive/annoying music. None of it is "real crime." The worst I've ever seen is the cops telling you to pack it in and move on. I'm sure something *could* happen, but honestly, NYPD are extremely practical and honestly just looking for "real crime."

OTOH, I would advise against it for the sole reason of not spending all day down there breathing subway air (especially not tuba breathing that air).

Great, now I'm homesick. Thanks a lot, Joe.

[roweenie]

When I had an apartment in NYC (1980s - the "good old days", before Times Square was an urban version of Disneyland), practicing was allowed by law until 11 PM.

I remember once accidentally practicing past 11 PM, and getting a knock on my door from my upstairs neighbor, politely reminding me of that fact

A trick I used to use when on tour in hotels was to turn on the TV really loud. It seems as though people are less inclined to complain about a loud TV then someone practicing a musical instrument....

[bighonkintuba]

From the MTA (http://web.mta.info/nyct/rules/rules.htm#use" target="_blank):
The following nontransit uses are permitted by the Authority, provided they do not impede transit activities and they are conducted in accordance with these rules: public speaking; campaigning; leafletting or distribution of written noncommercial materials; activities intended to encourage and facilitate voter registration; artistic performances, including the acceptance of donations; solicitation for religious or political causes.

If you aren't in the way and aren't being a dick, the police will leave you alone.

In 25 years of riding the subway regularly, I've run into one tuba player - on a platform between tracks. He was o.k. There are some really great musicians who perform in the subway and on other MTA/DOT properties - permitted or otherwise. I once played TubaChristmas music with friends through several trips on the Staten Island Ferry. We checked with the captain first. I won't say that we were great, but it was fun.

[bighonkintuba]

Noise produced by neighbors playing musical instruments appears to fall under common courtesy 'guidelines' (no specific ordinance regarding hours or volume):
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/pdf/noise_code_guide.pdf" target="_blank

unlike noise from construction, dogs, leaf blowers etc.

[bighonkintuba]

When I had an apartment in NYC (1980s - the "good old days", before Times Square was an urban version of Disneyland), practicing was allowed by law until 11 PM.

We can thank Mayor Foot-in-Mouth for Disneyland Northeast.

[bort]

I've run across lots of public tuba playing in the city... but in 6.5 years, none on the subway. Lots of violins, guitars (of course), motown man, some mariachi bands, and the haunting Asian one-string instruments. I've played exactly once down there. Left a rehearsal and the train took forever, so we all pulled out some tunes and played for a little while. It is LOUD down there.

[bort]

When I had an apartment in NYC (1980s - the "good old days", before Times Square was an urban version of Disneyland), practicing was allowed by law until 11 PM.

We can thank Mayor Foot-in-Mouth for Disneyland Northeast.

Warren Wilhelm is thankful for Mayor F-i-M right about now.

[happyroman]

Don't forget that you can practice on your mouthpiece anytime, anywhere (just about). You can also work on simply singing your recital pieces.

[MartyNeilan]

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/pdf/noise_code_guide.pdf" target="_blank" target="_blank
.

That construction worker looks like he is about to saw off his left hand

I went to a locksmithing school in Times Square 89-90. I remember seeing someone get stabbed right in front of the building. I also remember regularly seeing broken car windows near the music school I was attending uptown. I think one board member even had a tuba stolen out of a trunk nearby. Sometimes the good old days weren't so good.

[bighonkintuba]

Driving/walking around the area on the way to/from my first R.C. TubaChristmas in 1978 was certainly an eye-opener.

I lived under the full Giuliani-Bloomberg corporate fascist/police-state regime. Great if you're a tourist who mainlines Disney pablum, M&Ms, Old Navy and other contrived crap that serve as fun/entertainment. Bad if you were a resident with roots in your community displaced in favor of corporate interests and gentrification. Times Square should absolutely have been fixed - for the benefit of residents. What evolved wasn't a fix. It's a train wreck.

Don't worry, nothing will change. The current mayor is just another corporate Democrat shill/lapdog - effectively the same as any corporate Republican shill/lapdog.

Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.

[Three Valves]

Memphis may some day be fortunate enough that people will say "you know, I liked it better when it was a dangerous, filthy, ghetto!!"