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Places to practice on campus?


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rpmcgee
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 17, 2016 7:29 pm    Post subject: Places to practice on campus? Reply with quote

Hi everyone!

This fall I'll be starting college as a music major (trumpet performance).

The designated practice rooms at my school are tiny, unsanitary, and LOUD. There is nothing in these spaces to absorb sound, so it just bounces, making for a painful and unproductive practice session.

Does anyone have ideas of where else one could practice on a college campus, generally speaking? My current ideas are

1) strike up a deal with a local church to practice in their chapel (when not in use), offering to play free services in return
2) soundproof my dorm room? Any experience there?
3) buy sound absorbing foam and tape it to a practice room myself.

Any ideas, experience or suggestions would be greatly appreciated
-Renee
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Mike Sailors
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 17, 2016 8:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Seems like you should have checked that out before deciding to send your money to that institution. After all, you're paying (in part) to use those facilities.

Dorm room will definitely not work. How about the recital hall?
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Crazy Finn
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 17, 2016 10:14 pm    Post subject: Re: Places to practice on campus? Reply with quote

rpmcgee wrote:
The designated practice rooms at my school are tiny, unsanitary, and LOUD. There is nothing in these spaces to absorb sound, so it just bounces, making for a painful and unproductive practice session.

Sounds like a typical college practice room. Not all instruments are as loud as trumpets, they don't need as much soundproofing. My college music building was built in 1963 and wasn't seriously updated or renovated until I was graduating.

I'll admit that there was some soundproofing in the rooms there. There was a piano in every room. along with a chair and a music stand (theoretically). I often practiced elsewhere, but the practice rooms sufficed when necessary.

Practicing in a dorm room is not feasible. I suppose you could buy one of those Wenger practice room modules for several thousand and install it in your dorm room. Maybe. Seems ridiculous. You might have a roommate and they might not appreciate a huge practice facility in what's partly his living space. Really, the dorm is not an space for practicing.

Some dorms might have a practice room somewhere. I know some at the local large university did have a few.

I often practiced in a classroom in the music building. There were 3 non-ensemble classrooms, and they were often used for practicing (obviously not during class times). Access after normal hours might be an issue.

The recital hall is always nice, but might often be busy. It was the sort of thing that was signed out at my college, by students or faculty for whatever practicing they needed (you know, recitals). You might be able to sneak in there when it's not busy, but it's not something you can count on, regularly.

Ensemble practice rooms might work, when not in use.

I suppose you can soundproof your own practice room. However, will you always have that practice room available? Can you sign it out? Some places have key cards and other things for practice room usage, but if the facilities are as poor as you describe, they probably don't.

Mike Sailors wrote:
Seems like you should have checked that out before deciding to send your money to that institution. After all, you're paying (in part) to use those facilities.


Yeah. You're going to be there quite a bit, that's something I would take into account when making decisions.
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jscahoy
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 18, 2016 2:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Any unlocked room is a mostly empty building is a candidate. Rule #1: It's easier to get forgiveness than permission. Problem is, most colleges are locked up tighter than they used to be. Ask your teacher for ideas.
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homebilly
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 18, 2016 2:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

i used to practice in my dorm room as I watched I love Lucy & Love Boat reruns
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NYC-player
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 18, 2016 2:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm sure when your semester starts, you, like all the other music majors will figure out practice rooms etc. I doubt the facilities are as terrible as you make them out yo be.

Dorm room practice is the best way to make enemies with roommates and neighbors. As a freshman...not a good move.

At UNT we used to play outside a lot, against buildings etc.
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oxleyk
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 18, 2016 3:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

...

Last edited by oxleyk on Thu Jan 19, 2017 9:20 am; edited 2 times in total
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Betelgeuse215
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 18, 2016 6:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ask the current trumpet majors at your school where they practice.

I'm going to music school as a freshman this year and it doesn't have the best practice rooms but I asked the other trumpet majors and they actually said it's better than most schools because they get to use empty classrooms to practice.
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Turkle
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 18, 2016 7:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

oxleyk wrote:
Times must be tough at Upper Dry Gulch Community College and Free-will Holiness Tabernacle. What sort of institution doesn't have decent practice facilities for musicians?

At my college we preferred the old practice rooms with wood floors and hard plaster walls. The reverberation is key to hearing yourself. When the new music building opened we soon discovered the practice rooms soaked up sound like a sponge.

Kent


Oh yeah. The practice rooms I use are extremely dead. It can be very tiring to practice in a muffled room. (But they all have nicely tuned pianos, so there's that.)

I've found that if I can make my horn resonate in an utterly muffled, dead room, then when I get in a live room my sound just plain explodes! So I actually kind of like practicing in a dead room. Plus, there's nowhere to hide, so you hear every fumbled articulation, duff attack, etc.

ETA: Also, when in the practice room, no matter if it's live or dead, it's definitely best to wear earplugs when practicing the loud and high stuff. If I don't, my ears ring after a long session, even in a muffled room. So no matter what practice environment you're in, hearing protection is a good idea.
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zaferis
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 18, 2016 7:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

recital hall(s)
Theater
Church(es)..!!! and you may trade a couple of gigs for practice space
public schools nearby
your studio profs office before and after hours (I think I still have a key to my undergrad profs office and I graduated in '84)
Is there and Arts dept near? Exhibit rooms can be fun. or larger class rooms.


and I'd bring this up with the Studio Professor, Music Dept Chair... etc..


as an undergrad we (the trumpet studio) would take over the main rehearsal space (band room) first thing in the a.m. and warmed up/practiced. You weren't alone but got to play in a big room for at least a while.
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TrumpetMD
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 18, 2016 7:56 am    Post subject: Re: Places to practice on campus? Reply with quote

Crazy Finn wrote:
Sounds like a typical college practice room.

I agree. It definitely sounds like the practice rooms I used back in college. Here are a few thoughts, based what I did and some of my friends did.

- Practice in your dorm with a Harmon mute and the TV on. This wound't be good for all of your practicing. But this set up might work from some of your practicing.

- Get up early in the morning and practice in one of the band rooms or in one of the theaters. A friend of mine in college went through his daily routine at 6am every morning. No one else was around, and he had the main band room all to himself.

- Just use the practice room, and learn to ignore the distractions around you. It's what most of us did.

Mike
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dstdenis
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 18, 2016 8:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Interesting that the practice rooms are unsanitary. That shouldn't be acceptable to the school administrators. I'd start by talking to them and see what they say. Does the dean have visiting hours or an open-door policy? Give it a try.

Maybe they need to hire a better cleaning crew or have the rooms cleaned up and painted. Maybe they could do something about sound dampening in the rooms too. Also mention this to your teacher(s) and see if they will help you advocate for improving the practice rooms. If administrators hear enough complaints from students and staff, they should find some budget to fix this.

I'd avoid using practice mutes or headphones if possible. They're ok for occasional use but could interfere with your development.
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LaTrompeta
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 19, 2016 8:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I hate to say it, but this is not an issue reserved for Northern Minnetonka Community College.

I practiced in rooms at a bunch of colleges when auditioning for master's programs. They all suck. All of them -- with few exceptions.

The worst rooms were at Eastman. Just awful. Small, cold and loud.

Rice University had bigger rooms, but man they got HOT!

UNT has reasonable practice rooms.

Northern Colorado's rooms are loud and not very well insulated.

The only school with good practice rooms was Colburn. Nice place, but all the rooms are locked down (and for good reason).

My undergrad school has OK practice rooms, but they aren't well insulated either. I used to know all the various rooms and the times they weren't being used. My favorite was the band room. You'll have to figure this out as a music major.
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BrassTonics
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 5:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Invest in a yahama silent brass system and you can play anywhere!
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AJCarter
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 5:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Earplugs and deal with the practice room. OR, practice everything softly, as this will be an invaluable skill.

Classrooms are sometimes available or other rooms where quintets or various chamber groups rehearse can also be an option.

I'm sure most of us have dealt with the same situation and feel the pain you are (about to be) going through.

Good luck!
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Andy Del
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2016 10:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The general rule should be there are no rules. This doesn't mean to abuse the system or facilities, but you MUST take advantage of whatever opportunity presents itself. Go look and search out the places to practice.

At the various institutions I have attended as a music major I used not only the designated practice rooms, but larger lecture and teaching spaces, halls, recital spaces, the park outside, in the museum, home, outside ensemble rehearsal spaces, and the local opera house. (That was in the days of more relaxed security) Nothing like a very large space to practice in every now and then! The rest of the time, you need to tailor your playing to the space, and make good use of soft practice...

cheers

Andy
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legyed3
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 19, 2017 9:11 am    Post subject: yucky practice rooms Reply with quote

Ask the other players in the studio where they practice, or just grab an empty classroom or performance spaced if it is unlocked.
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snichols
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 19, 2017 9:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I would recommend just using the practice room. Being in a live room can actually be more beneficial than being in a dead room because you can focus on soft, resonant tone. You don't have to force and blast to get feedback. While earplugs can be a good tool for working on articulation, maybe something a little less blocking is best, like some earmuffs, or just a pair of headphones. Added bonus is you can use the headphones to play your metronome for practicing. But definitely no dorm practice. I wouldn't bother with silent brass either for regular practicing. Maybe once in a while if you have no other option, but developing your tone is going to be an important aspect of your time at school. Finding big rooms works too, but you'll still want to have a regular location and plan you can default to if there are no big rooms free.
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marshallash
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 19, 2017 6:57 pm    Post subject: Music Library Reply with quote

During my bachelor's degree, I took a job as the band librarian, which came with a key to "my very own band library!" See if your school supports this--also a good way to get in with the band director (assuming you can print/sort music during your lip breaks).
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Johnwick88
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 01, 2017 3:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Problem is, most colleges are locked up tighter than they used to be. Ask your teacher for ideas.
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