New England Conservatory of Music

This page details the availability of practice space at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, MA, USA.

Type of Practice Space
The use of practice rooms at NEC is restricted to members of the NEC community and their guests only. In order to access the practice rooms, you will need an NEC ID card, or for an NEC community member to sign you in. This applies to practice space in all buildings at NEC.

Parking and Public Transit
Street parking is available at meters on all streets surrounding the NEC campus. Two paid parking garages nearby are the Gainsborough Garage, and the Westland Avenue Garage.

NEC is served by bus route #39 which stops at the corner of Huntington Ave. and Gainsborough St., and by the Orange and Green line trains, which stop at the Massachusetts Ave. and Symphony stations, respectively.

Jordan Hall Building
The main building at NEC is called Jordan Hall. It is located at 290 Huntington Ave. Boston, MA 02115.

The practice rooms are located in the basement, and on the second and third floors of the Jordan Hall building. Access to the practice rooms is via staircase, around the corner on either the left or right hand side of the security desk, or by elevator, located to the left side of the security desk.

Piano and vocal practice rooms are located on the second and third floors along the Gainsborough St. side of the building. Practice rooms for winds, brass, and strings are located on the second and third floors in the rear of the building. Percussion practice rooms are located in the basement along the Gainsborough St. side of the building.

Access to the practice rooms is from 6am to midnight daily during the school year. Percussionists may need an additional key to access basement percussion rooms.

Attributes of Jordan Hall Practice Rooms
Most practice rooms in Jordan Hall are at least 75 square feet. Standard equipment includes chairs, music stands, an upright piano, at least one electrical outlet, and a mirror. Most practice rooms can comfortably fit up to four musicians for ensemble rehearsals.

Certain rooms are larger, and may also contain a grand piano or an audio cabinet.

All rooms in Jordan Hall are climate controlled by heating and air conditioning.

St. Botolph Building
Around the corner from Jordan Hall is the St. Botolph Building, located at 241 St. Botolph St. Boston, MA 02115.

Classrooms on the third floor of the St. Botolph Building are accessible via the staircase directly ahead as you walk in the main entrance, or via elevator, just to the left of the main stairs. The third floor classrooms are available as practice rooms between the hours of 8am to noon, as well as 6pm to building close. Practicing is not allowed in classrooms while classes are in session.

Attributes of St. Botolph Classrooms
Most classrooms in the St. Botolph building are approximately 150 square feet. Standard equipment includes chairs, music stands, an upright or grand piano, at least one electrical outlet, and an audio cabinet. Most classrooms can comfortably fit up to 15 musicians for ensemble rehearsals, however there may not be enough music stands.

All rooms in the St. Botolph building are climate controlled with heating, and some rooms contain air conditioning units.

NEC Residence Hall
Across the street from the Jordan Hall building is the NEC residence hall, located at 33 Gainsborough St. Boston, MA 02115.

Practice rooms are accessible via the elevators directly ahead as you enter the residence hall, or via the staircase to the left and on the opposite wall from the elevators. Access to the residence hall practice rooms is restricted to current residents and their guests. You will be denied access to the basement of the residence hall unless you currently reside there, or have a current resident sign you in as a guest.

Attributes of NEC Residence Hall Practice Rooms
There are a limited number of practice rooms available in the basement of the residence hall. All practice rooms are approximately 30 square feet. Standard equipment includes chairs. Some rooms may contain electronic keyboards, electrical outlets, or music stands.

All practice rooms in the NEC residence hall are climate controlled with heating.