Practice Rooms and Reservations

The ISM, School of Music, and Divinity School have many practice rooms which are available to ISM students for practice twenty-four hours a day. After-hours access requires swipe access with a Yale ID to get into both the building and the practice corridor.

There are lockers available in the Practice Room Wing. You may use these lockers with your own lock. Please note: All lockers should be emptied and unlocked prior to December break and prior to the end of classes in May. Any unemptied lockers will have the locks removed and the contents disposed of.

Non-ISM students who are members of Yale Schola Cantorum or the Yale Camerata, or who are musicians in the YDS chapel community, may request access to the practice rooms. Yale Divinity students are welcome to use ISM practice rooms if they are not needed by an ISM student.

Room Reservations and Policies

  1. Only students with organ faculty permission may use Organ Practice rooms.
  2. Occasionally, lessons sponsored by the ISM are taught in practice rooms and these take precedence over practice use.
  3. No food or liquid are allowed in any practice room.
  4. Never place cups (even empty ones) on musical instruments.
  5. If you leave your practice room for more than 15 minutes, you must remove all your belongings;, otherwise, you run the risk of the staff removing and discarding them.
  6. If you open the window in a practice room, please close it before exiting.
  7. Do not unplug the damp-chasers set up to protect the pianos.

  1. All reservations must be placed 48 hours in advance.
  2. Click on the links below to view availability for the spaces. A new window will open and you will be prompted to enter your NetID and password to access the room calendars.
  3. Once you see that a room is available at the time you want, request a reservation by e-mailing Aric Isaacs with the room in the subject line.

Sterling Divinity Quad Facilities

SDQ-Great Hall

Reservations:

  • Required. May be reserved by faculty and staff only.
  • Use: piano, harpsichord, electronic harpsichord/organ

To request use: 

Swipe access: ISM music faculty, students, and staff

The ISM will use this room for:

  • ISM Colloquium
  • YDS academic classes
  • ISM internal events
  • Schola Cantorum rehearsals
  • Voxtet lessons
  • Vocal Chamber Music
  • Voice Seminar

Weekly schedule:

Monday:

  • 9 am – 12 pm: YDS academic classes
  • 12 pm – 4 pm: Voxtet lessons
  • 4 pm – 6 pm: Voice Seminar
  • 6 pm – 8 pm: Voxtet lessons

Tuesday:

  • 10 am – 8 pm: Voxtet lessons

Wednesday:

  • 9 am – 12 pm: YDS academic classes
  • 12 pm – 2 pm: Voxtet lessons
  • 2 pm – 5:30 pm: ISM Colloquium
  • 5:30 pm – 10 pm: Schola rehearsal

Thursday:

  • 10 am – 2:30 pm: Voxtet lessons
  • 2:30 pm – 4 pm: Vocal Chamber Music
  • 4 pm – 8 pm: Voxtet lessons

Friday:

  • 9 am – 12 pm: YDS academic classes
  • 12 pm – 2 pm: Voxtet lessons
  • 2 pm – 6 pm: Schola rehearsal

Reservations:

Swipe access: ISM music faculty, students, and staff

The ISM will use this room for:

  • ISM music student practice
  • ISM secondary instrumental lessons
  • YDS student practice when not in use by ISM students

Health and safety guidelines for musical activities:

  • Lessons take precedence over practice time
  • No singing is allowed in these practice rooms
  • Lockers are available for ISM music students to use at will
  • No duration limit
  • Keyboard instruments will be cleaned by instrument curators.  Please wash hands before and after use
  • Under no circumstances are any doors to be propped open when unmasked in a practice room
  • If you open a window in a practice room, close it before exiting
  • No furniture, instruments, or equipment may be moved in or out of any room
  • Do not eat in the practice rooms.  Only water is permitted
  • Do not unplug the damp-chasers set up to protect the pianos
  • Do not leave personal items unattended in a practice room

Reservations: 

  • Required. May be reserved by organ faculty and current organ students only students, and choral librarians
  • Use: organ, piano

To request use: 

Swipe access: ISM music faculty, students, and staff

The ISM will use this room for:

  • Organ individual practice
  • Organ lessons
  • Organ classes

Health and safety guidelines for musical activities:

  • No duration limit
  • Keyboard instruments will be cleaned by instrument curators.  Please wash hands before and after use
  • If you open a window, close it before exiting
  • No furniture, instruments, or equipment may be moved in or out of the Organ Studio
  • Do not eat in the Organ Studio.  Only water is permitted
  • Do not leave personal items unattended

Reservations: 

  • Reservations: Yes. May be reserved by faculty, staff, Voxtet students, conducting students, and choral librarians
  • Use: piano, harpsichord

To request use: 

Swipe access: ISM music faculty, students, and staff

The ISM will use this room for:

  • Voxtet coaching
  • Performance Practice for Singers
  • Practice room for conductors and Voxtet
  • Choral library work (staff and student workers)
  • Triangle A/V wired room with N208 (Stefan Parkman’s office) and N210 (Felicia Barber’s office)

Reservations: Email Aric Isaacs for permission to use triangle wired suite

Access: Key access by permission for music faculty, students, and staff

 The ISM will use this room for:

  • Felicia Barber faculty office (N210)
  • Stefan Parkman faculty office (N208)
  • Conducting lessons
  • Triangle A/V wired room with Sterling Music Studio (N209)

Reservations: 

  • Required. May be reserved by faculty, students, and staff
  • Use: organ, piano, harpsichord

To request use: 

Access: Marquand Chapel is open to ISM music faculty, students, and staff

The ISM will use this room for:

  • YDS chapel and academic activities
  • Occasional use by Schola and Camerata for concerts and rehearsals
  • Organ lessons and recitals
  • Organ individual practice
  • Voxtet concert projects
  • Voxtet first-year recitals
  • Conductor degree recitals

Health and safety guidelines for musical activities:

  • No duration limit
  • Keyboard instruments will be cleaned by instrument curators.  Please wash hands before and after use

Chapel music programs:

Questions about Marquand Chapel music programs can be directed to Nathaniel Gumbs, director of chapel music, or Awet Andemicael, associate dean of chapel

The Collection:  Located in the Sterling Divinity Quadrangle at N209, the ISM Choral Library houses approximately 2,500 works ranging from early chant through to the 21st century. Materials are available to registered borrowers through the Choral Librarian’s office.

Choral Librarian: Donald Youngberg | Online catalog

History of the Collection: The ISM Choral Library is a direct descendant of the Sacred Music Library at Union Theological Seminary.

Library Policies:

Access:

  • The ISM choral library is open to Yale affiliates (students, faculty, and staff) as well as representatives of local organizations who register with the ISM. Registration can be completed by e-mailing the Choral Librarian with the borrower’s name, mailing address, e-mail address, phone number, and name of organization.
  • Registration does not entitle borrowers to access to the library stacks. A registered borrower may request titles by sending a request to the Choral Librarian. (See “Borrowing and Circulation,” below.)
  • Priority for library materials is given to ISM performing groups.
  • The Choral Librarian reserves the right to terminate borrowing privileges at any time.

Borrowing and Circulation:

  • To request materials, send a message to the Choral Librarian. Include in your request the call number, the name of the composer, the title of the piece, the number of copies desired, the date you wish to pick up the items, and the date you wish to return them.
  • The default loan period is four weeks. If you wish to keep items longer, include the desired return date in your request.
  • Allow at least ten working days for a request to be processed.
  • The Choral Librarian reserves the right to recall materials at any time.
  • Library materials may not be marked with anything other than gray pencil. Before returning materials, the borrower is responsible for erasing any markings.
  • Renewals must be requested on or before the due date. Borrowers may renew materials by e-mailing the Choral Librarian.
  • Borrowers with overdue materials are not permitted to check out additional materials.
  • Borrowers who wish to view their loan history and due dates may request an account in the Insignia library software.
  • Contact the Choral Librarian to discuss locations for picking up and dropping off library items.
  • Until further notice, library materials housed at West Campus are not available for borrowing.
  • Music for chapel choirs will be checked out to the conductors, who are responsible for every copy.

Overdue Materials and Fines:

  • The library sends a notice by e-mail shortly before an item’s due date and weekly thereafter until materials are returned.
  • Borrowers are responsible for informing the Choral Librarian promptly of changes in their e-mail addresses.
  • Failure to receive a notice does not release the borrower from overdue fines.
  • Fines are assessed beginning the day following the due date: Fines are $.50 per day per item, or $2.00 per day for recalled items.
  • Unreturned materials may be declared lost, and patrons will be billed for their replacement plus a $20 processing fee.

Miller Hall

Miller Hall is accessible via badge swipe to ISM community members, and to the wider community during public conferences, exhibitions, and events. The staff point person for questions or concerns about Miller Hall access and use is Caitlin MacGregor.

Building Hours: 

  • Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
  • Saturday – Sunday, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
  • Upon request, reservations may be made outside of building hours.

All reservations must be placed 48 hours in advance.

Kitchen: Open to faculty and staff only.

Shared copiers: Available to faculty and staff only. 

Reservations: 

  • Required. May be reserved by faculty and staff only
  • Use: piano

To request use: 

Swipe access: ISM music faculty, students, and staff

The ISM will use this room for:

  • ISM internal events
  • ISM conferences, events, and exhibitions open to the public

Reservations:

To request use: 

  • Email Aric Isaacs to request
  • Use: piano 

Swipe access: ISM music faculty, students, and staff

The ISM will use these rooms for:

  • Conductor in-person lessons
  • Conductor Zoom lessons
  • Conductor voice/accompanist practice
  • Practice room for conductors and Voxtet
  • ISM secondary lessons

Hendrie Hall / Adams Center

Reservations:

  • Required. May be made by ISM faculty, staff, and conducting department assistant
  • Log into ArtsVision to access Glee Club Room calendar

Swipe access: ISM music faculty, staff, and conducting students

The ISM will use this room for:

  • Choral Seminar
  • Repertory Chorus rehearsals
  • Camerata rehearsals
  • Recital Chorus rehearsals

Weekly Schedule:

  • Monday:
    • 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm: Choral Seminar
    • 4 pm – 6 pm: Repertory Chorus rehearsal
  • Tuesday: No scheduled activities
  • Wednesday: No scheduled activities
  • Thursday: 4 pm – 6 pm: Recital Chorus rehearsal
  • Friday: No scheduled activities

Reservations:

  • Required. May be made by Voxtet faculty and students
  • Coaching schedules created by Tomoko Nakayama
  • Email Voxtet Department Assistant to request 

Access: Key access by permission for music faculty, students, and staff

The ISM will use this room for:

  • Voxtet coachings
  • Taylor faculty office

Resources

Yale resources are vast and wide across campus. A sampling is listed here.

A rare book opened with illustrations and text