To practice at Curtis, you must reserve a room or studio in one of the sign-up books at the reception desk in the Gary and Naomi Graffman Common Room. You may use a practice room for two hours at a time, up to a total of four hours a day. If you have special needs, see the receptionist in the Gary and Naomi Graffman Common Room. Facilities in the Main Building are available to Curtis students from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. throughout the year.

Practice-Room Reservations
Practicing in Teaching Studios
Staff Pianists
Rehearsals in Field Concert Hall
Other Practice-Room Guidelines

PRACTICE-ROOM RESERVATIONS
There are three places you can sign up to reserve a practice room: the advance reservation sheet, the daily practice books, and the weekend practice book. All books are kept at the reception desk in the Gary and Naomi Graffman Common Room, and each serves a different purpose.

Advance reservation sheet. Use this to reserve a practice room one day in advance. Write in your name, instrument, and the time(s) you wish to practice. You must do this before noon to be assured an appropriate room the next day.

Daily Practice books. Use this book if you need a room today. There are separate books for day and night reservations. To practice before 6 p.m., use the day book; for evening practice, use the night book. Find a room that no one else has reserved and sign yourself in.

Weekend Practice book. This book is placed out on Friday at 4 p.m. for weekend reservations.

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PRACTICING IN TEACHING STUDIOS
If you need a practice room but can't find an empty one, or if your chamber group is so large that you need to rehearse in a studio, see the receptionist in the Gary and Naomi Graffman Common Room. At times certain teaching studios (the Zimbalist Room, Horszowski Room, Vengerova Room, etc.) are available for practice and rehearsals, and the receptionist can sign you up for one.

The registrar controls usage of the concert grand pianos in Field Concert Hall and 1B.

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STAFF PIANISTS
Curtis provides staff pianists for three purposes:
1) to help students prepare for performances in Field Concert Hall
2) to prepare for Institute-sponsored master classes and concerts
3) to play in lessons in preparation for the above

Requests for staff pianists are submitted via the "Performances, Coachings & Recordings" section within the Curtis website.

All requests must include the following information:
1) your full name, telephone number, e-mail address, and instrument
2) composer and title of work to be accompanied
3) type of service(s), i.e.: lesson, recital, master class, recording, etc.
4) date(s) and time(s) of services
5) name of the teacher giving the lesson

All requests must be submitted at least one week in advance of the service. If the exact date and time of the service is unknown, you may indicate it as "to be scheduled the week of …"

The instrumental accompaniment office will issue a confirmation e-mail for each approved accompaniment request.

Normal rehearsal time with a pianist is one hour per session.

You may not use Curtis-compensated time with pianists to prepare for non-Curtis-related engagements, competitions, recordings, etc. If a pianist is not available, or if you need a pianist to accompany you in a lesson that is not leading to a Curtis performance, please ask the director of instrumental accompaniment to assist you.

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REHEARSALS IN FIELD CONCERT HALL
To reserve Field Concert Hall for rehearsal, see the registrar as soon as you know your Hall needs. The Steinway concert grand in Field Concert Hall may be used only for performances, for rehearsals in preparation for performances, or for recording.

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OTHER PRACTICE-ROOM GUIDELINES
1) If a room is not claimed after ten minutes, it becomes available to others.
2) On days when there are concerts in Field Concert Hall or in the Opera Studio, practicing must stop a half-hour before the performance begins. The only exceptions are rooms IIA (Salzedo) and IIB (Tabuteau): You may rehearse there during concerts if you have made arrangements in advance with the receptionist.
3) Also during concerts, room 235J (the Computer Studio) may be used for computer work.
4) Outside accompanists, parents, or other guests are not permitted in the studios or at rehearsals of any kind without special written permission. To obtain permission, see the dean.
5) Curtis graduates may practice at the Institute, at the school's convenience, if studios are available. A reservation, however, MUST be made with the registrar.
6) Food and beverages are not permitted in the studios.
7) Chairs and stands are to be returned to where they were originally obtained.

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