Practice Rooms
Morrison Hall Ground Floor, 510.642.2681 Department of Music, University of California, Berkeley
Located on the ground floor of Morrison Hall, the music practice rooms
at Berkeley consist of 33 small rooms, most with a single piano, as
well as four larger grand rooms which double as teaching studios and
an organ/early music practice room. Called grand rooms because they
contain grand pianos (three of the four rooms have 2 pianos), all four
can be reserved (see Reservations below). In addition, the
large room that serves as the student lounge on weekdays until 5pm is
reservable evenings and weekends as a meeting or practice room suited
for choral music and chamber ensemble practice. Staff at the practice
desk moderate access to the rooms as well as issue various-sized instrument
lockers to students at the beginning of fall and summer semesters.
Who Can Use Practice Rooms?
The practice rooms are for the exclusive use of registered Cal students, currently employed staff and faculty during the academic year. Community members of department-sponsored ensembles may also use the practice rooms. (Not eligible: UC Extension students and Cal alumni.) Please note that during the summer, practice rooms are used heavily by the Young Musicians Program. See the summer schedule below for best available hours.
Designations
(A, B, and C) regulate the flow of users to ensure that music majors
and minors, members of department-sponsored ensembles, and students
taking harmony, theory, and musicianship classes get priority during
the day.
A and B stickers are applied to Cal photo IDs and can be obtained at the practice desk upon presentation of current Cal registration card or a faculty/staff ID card, and verification of current registration. A and B users will also be asked to fill out a name and address card, and will be issued stickers after class lists are published, usually during the second or third week of the semester.
A users are declared music majors, music graduate students, and music
faculty/staff.
B users are undeclared music majors, members of specific department-sponsored
ensembles requiring practice rooms, and nonmajors taking harmony
and musicianship classes.
C users are registered Cal students, staff, or faculty not in either
of the above categories.
Users must surrender their IDs to the desk clerk in exchange for the keys to a practice room. IDs are returned when the keys are (user will be charged for lost keys). Sign-up sheets back this exchange system. Remember to sign in and out.
Fall 2012-Spring 2013 Regular Hours
| A & B Users | C Users | |
|---|---|---|
| Monday-Thursday | 8:15 am –- 10:45 pm | 4:00 –- 10:45 pm |
| Friday | 8:15am –- 7:45 pm | 2:00 - 7:45 pm |
| Saturday | 10:15 am –- 5:45 pm | 10:15 am –- 5:45 pm |
| Sunday | 10:15 am –- 10:45 pm | 10:15 am –- 10:45 pm |
Note: The Practice Rooms will close on Friday, May 17th at 3:45 p.m.. They will remain closed until mid June (specific date forthcoming).
Rules Governing Use
- Practice rooms are available on a first-come/first-served basis.
- No eating, drinking (except for bottled water), or smoking in the practice rooms; smoking is not allowed in buildings. Refreshments allowed in the student lounge (room 8).
- Do not move insulation panels from the walls; they break easily.
- Lock and close doors when you leave. For the security of users as well as instruments and equipment, we advise keeping doors closed and locked during use. Please do not block windows.
- Report any problems with rooms or pianos to the practice desk clerk.
- No private teaching in the practice rooms except by department and YMP instructors.
- Use of the organ and early instruments requires special permission. Make arrangements through the department office, 104 Morrison. No one will be admitted to the rooms in which these instruments are stored without written permission from the faculty member in charge.
Reservations and use of Grand Rooms
Only A users, department instructors (Music150) and noon concert pianists
may use the grand piano rooms. Noon concert pianists may reserve
the grand piano rooms only during the semester in which they are scheduled
to perform. Auditioning ensembles may do so in the weeks preceding noon
concert auditions. Reservations for one-time useshould be made not more
than two weeks in advance for no more than two hours at a time. A users
may not reserve the grand room.
Except for noon concert pianists (explained above), there are no reservations for individual practice.
Semester-permanent reservations: Department instructors (Music 40, 150, 405 and YMP) and musicianship instructors (Music 20) may make permanent reservation of the grand rooms. One YMP instructor per time period is allowed to reserve a grand room. Decal reservations must be made by an A-use in the ensemble.
Cancelling reservations: Please give as much advance notice as possible to the clerk at the practice desk (510.642.2681) if you will not be using your reserved room. Be considerate; grand rooms are in demand. Keys for reserved rooms must be picked up within ten minutes of the specified time or the entire reservation is forfeited.
Lockers
Lockers of varying size are available for academic-year assignment. They are distributed at the beginning of fall semester (distribution hours are posted in the department) and summer semester. Larger instrument lockers are in shorter supply so music majors and ensemble members have priority. Private locks may not be used (and will be cut off). Store articles in lockers at owner's risk; the department is not responsible for lost or stolen items.
As lockers are heavily used in the summer by the Summer Symphony and Young Musicians Program, everyone must clear lockers by the end of spring semester. The contents of uncleared lockers, instruments excepted, will be sent to campus Excess, Surplus and Salvage.