<p>D is going to a regional audition (300 miles from home) for a summer institute. We are taking extra time to visit family and will be away from home for several days. Her audition is on the last day of the trip.
This dry run makes me wonder, how do students get to practice? Four days of no practice followed by an audition can't be good!
The instrument is piano. Not easy to pack with you, and the hotels that I have contacted all claim not to have one available. I am seeing if our relatives know someone with a piano, but I'm curious how others have solved this problem. Thanks --</p>
<p>Best Advice: Read “The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother”</p>
<p>I’m a pianist too, and I always run into this! Is the regional audition at a music school? When I was taking trial lessons different places and wanted to practice beforehand, people in the admissions offices were generally very friendly and willing to open up a practice room for me.</p>
<p>just brainstorming here, but maybe a local church? maybe for a “donation”?</p>
<p>Public libraries usually have a piano available in a room with a door.
Most churches have a piano.
Possibly a friend of the person you are visiting.
Music schools.
Contact the local HS music department.
If the hotel has a piano and they won’t let D play you are talking to the wrong person, move higher up the chain.
Call a local piano teacher and ask.</p>
<p>In each instance you should offer to pay for your time.</p>
<p>I went to sam ash music stores and played bass there for free when my own instrument got damaged during the flight.</p>
<p>^^^^I was thinking that a music store might be happy to have their pianos played.</p>
<p>I’ve been wondering about the same thing for trumpet, though so far it’s not an urgent question. How do trumpet players get regular practice in when they’re traveling? The instrument is eminently portable, but oh so loud. Really it’s the same for pretty much every portable instrument. Is there a secret? Or do musicians just pick low traffic times in hotels & fit it in?</p>
<p>In most nyc hotels I think you can play in your room from 8am to 12am with a mute until someone actually complains. Some friends of mine with 8am audition times and a need to go through scales, bow drills ect… before practiced from 5-7ish am in the hotel kitchens/restrooms and I remember practicing after 12 in hotel’s ball/conference room (where I also spent hours recording my audition DVDs). One could also probably sneak into the gym when no one uses it or in the stair cases or anywhere else you can think of.</p>
<p>My son plays euphonium and bass trombone, also pretty loud. </p>
<p>First off, the practice mute can be your best friend. Buzzing as well.</p>
<p>Most music stores that give lessons have small practice rooms that are not busy or used at all while school is in session. We have been given them to use for free and have also paid $20 for an hour. </p>
<p>Music schools have practice rooms. </p>
<p>You can ask at the front desk of any hotel to use one of the conference, party or banquet rooms. </p>
<p>You can practice on the deck of a cruise ship. You might pick up a brass quintet of ship musicians to jam with every afternoon.</p>
<p>A public park when the weather is good.</p>
<p>A Greenwich Village street corner will work in a pinch. </p>
<p>Any place in San Francisco or New Orleans.</p>
<p>You can always ask at a church.</p>
<p>Where there is a will there is a way :-))</p>
<p>My two sons, cellist and trombonist, had good luck using the breakfast room that’s in some chain motels. It’s usually not in use after 11:00 a.m. - the desk clerks were pretty accommodating in opening them up for a little practicing and no one seemed bothered.</p>
<p>Please also research the supreme and very real benefits of mental/visual practice.</p>