You’re arriving in New York City on the day of an audition and have exactly one hour to warm up? You live in New York with four opera-loathing roommates? You’re meeting a new student for a voice lesson and you’d rather not give out your home address?
Look no further than NYC Performing Arts Spaces (nycpaspaces.org), a database of performance and rehearsal spaces in all five boroughs. A project of the arts service organization Fractured Atlas, the site has grown steadily since its launch in 2001 and now features more than 1,600 spaces appropriate for all performing arts genres and offering a wide range of amenities. You need a small concert hall with Wi-Fi where you can tap dance and shower? No problem . . . nycpaspaces.org is where you’ll find it.
The site was recently upgraded so you can save your searches, create lists of favorites, write reviews and, eventually, book rooms online. Accommodations can range from luxurious to cramped, but the constant need for rehearsal space has created a competitive market. Amenities such as vending machines, small cafés, and Wi-Fi are becoming more common. Here is a sampling of some of the more centrally located music studios available—and everything you need to make the best choice.
Champions Studios
257 W. 39th St. 14th Fl., between 7th and 8th Ave.
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8:30 a.m.-11 p.m., Sat. 8:30 a.m.-9 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m.-11 p.m.
Tel: 212-307-7707
www.championsstudios.moonfruit.com
One of many Midtown options, Champions offers 18 studios at friendly prices: $11/hour before 5 p.m. and $17 after. Seven pianos are available and can be wheeled into rooms of various sizes. A place for dance as well as music, the space can get a little crowded and noisy.
Joria Productions/West Side Dance Project/City Music Schools
260 W. 36th St., at 8th Ave.
Hours: Daily 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Tel: 212-563-6781
www.joriaproductions.com
Just steps away from the Bolt Bus drop-off with hourly rentals as low as $8/hour, this small operation is one of the best deals in town. Two small piano rooms are available for the low rate and two larger spaces rent for $14-$18. A quiet, if not acoustically fantastic, alternative to other studios in the area.
Lighthouse International
111 E. 59th St., between Lexington and Park Ave.
Hours: Weekdays 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.-4 p.m., closed Sun.
Tel: 212-821-9711
www.lighthouse.org/services-and-assistance/music-school/music-rehearsal-space/
One of the few locations on the East Side, Lighthouse offers seven studios with grand pianos and full-length mirrors. While the dead acoustic might not be ideal for long-term arrangements, they do offer block-rate discounts. Normal rates are $20/hour ($16 for students).
Lucy Moses School at the Kaufman Center
129 W. 67th St., at Broadway
Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri. 9 a.m.-6 p.m., closed weekends
Tel: 212-501-3308
www.kaufman-center.org/about/facilities
The recently renovated Kaufman Center features 22 comfortable practice rooms just a block away from Lincoln Center. Studios with upright pianos are $17/hour; grand pianos are $20. Students currently enrolled at the Lucy Moses School receive a 50 percent discount, but if students wish to use the room with someone from outside the school, the discount does not apply.
Michiko Studios
149 W. 46th St., between 6th and 7th Aves.
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-7 p.m., closed Sun.
Tel: 212-302-4011
www.robertoswinds.com/michicko_room.php
Located in the Times Square hub, Michiko is one of the few studios that rents rooms for as little as 15 minutes, which costs $4-$10. While largely catering to jazz musicians—with heavy carpeting to deaden the acoustic in most rooms—the larger spaces work well for singers, especially Studios A and F as well as the Opera, Event, and Stage Rooms. Hourly rates range from $10 (for 4×4 rooms with no piano) to $25, with slightly higher costs if more than one person is using the room.
Pearl Studios
500 and 519 8th Ave. (across the street from each other), between 35th and 36th Sts.
Hours: 8:30 a.m.-11 p.m.
Tel: 212-904-1850
www.pearlstudiosnyc.com/index.php
Another option along 8th Ave., Pearl recently grew to 40 piano studios by expanding its empire across the street from its original location. While most of the spaces are larger and geared toward dancers, several smaller piano studios are available at $21-$30/hour, with carpeting and acoustical curtains.
Ripley-Greer Studios
Three locations: 520 8th Ave. (between 36th and 37th Sts.), 939 8th Ave. (between 55th and 56th Sts.), 131 W. 72nd St. (between Amsterdam and Columbus)
Hours: Daily 9 a.m.-11 p.m. with following exceptions: 72nd St. closes at 9 p.m. on Saturdays, 939 8th Ave. and 72nd St. close at the last booking on weekends
Tel: 212-799-5433
www.ripleygreer.com/main.php
Perhaps the largest of the studios, this quirky, family-run outfit boasts three locations and a professional reservation system. The two smaller outposts, on 72nd St. and at 939 8th Ave., are more appropriate for larger groups, but do offer several smaller rooms ranging from $18-$32/hour.
The go-to location is 520 8th Ave., with 35 rooms over three floors that often host auditions, musical theatre rehearsals, and fitness classes. The 16th floor houses most of the small piano rooms, which have high ceilings and wood floors and cost from $15-$25/hour, with shorter increments available. Same-day discounts make larger rooms available for $14/hour, and there are 10 percent-off reservations for 9 a.m.-11 a.m. or 9 p.m.-11 p.m. at 520 8th Ave.
First-time customers receive $5 off of future reservations and a coupon for the café. The rooms are not especially soundproof, and the large space means that staff is not always available to keep people in line. Don’t be surprised if a tap dance troupe starts practicing right outside your door.
Roy Arias Studios
300 W. 43rd St., Suite 506, at 8th Ave.
Hours: Daily 9 a.m.-11 p.m.
Tel: 212-957-8358
www.royariasstudios.com/index.html
Night owls have a home here, where rooms are available outside of regular times—if for a $10/hour surcharge. That might be the one advantage to singers looking for practice space, as most of the studios are intended for use by actors or dancers. Roy Arias is one of the few places to offer online booking, with 10-20 percent off regular rates for using the service. Online prices start at $11/hour for one of the six available piano rooms and go up to $28 for a larger space.
Shetler Studios
244 W. 54th St., 12th Fl., between Broadway and 8th Ave.
Hours: Daily 9 a.m.-11 p.m.
Tel: 212-246-6655
www.shetlerstudios.com
Housed in the same building as Nola Studios, the popular audition spot, the 12th floor of Shetler provides rooms without pianos for actors and the Penthouse offers 11 wood-floor piano rooms. These spaces are 40 percent off on weekdays if you book 48 hours or less ahead of time, for rates of $10.80-$27/hour. Students also enjoy a 30 percent discount, and those looking for discounts on frequent rentals can work as interns in exchange for the use of space.
Tips for using studio spaces:
• Plan ahead. Even the bigger studios will be mobbed when they host auditions, so try to book at least a day ahead to assure a room of your own.
• Pick up the phone. For now, most studios do not have online booking through their site or nycpaspaces.org, and e-mail reservations can take longer to arrange than a quick phone call.
• Be prompt. If you show up 10 minutes late, the person who rented the room after you will still kick you out right on time. Even if someone isn’t immediately following you, a staff member will likely remind you that time is up.
• Be considerate. That lady who jumped ahead of you in the restroom line might be on your audition panel, so don’t give her a dirty look! In addition, staff at these studios are often performers themselves, and even if they are not related to your audition that day, it’s always wise to behave collegially. Don’t make them chase you out of a room you didn’t pay for, and don’t get angry if they can’t accommodate you.
• Speak up. If you rent a room that’s filthy or you can’t hear yourself sing because a barbershop quartet is practicing in the hallway, notify the staff right away. After all, you’re paying for the space, and with so many options, studios want satisfied customers coming back for more.
