Hardscrabble Music Overview:
In the city of Chicago, there are 11 practice spaces available to musicians and artists, with roughly 600 practice rooms available for rental on a monthly basis. As of February 18, 2022, only 5 monthly rental rooms were available. There are no practice facilities south of Cermak Road, leaving an entire section of the city without access to professional and secure practice facilities.
Our goal is to open a music and performing arts practice and rehearsal facility for musicians, artists, music teachers and students, and performing groups. The ideal space will be 15,000-40,000 sqft, preferably a single story building with a parking lot. The goal is to create an incubator where local musicians, bands, dancers, and artists can practice, rehearse, and hone their craft in a professional, safe, and collaborative environment that supports the burgeoning arts community of Bridgeport.
This multi-phase project will launch with 40 individual rentable practice spaces 10 teaching studios and one large rehearsal room for larger groups. Phase II will include the build-out of two showcase rooms designed for touring artists, dance companies, or theater ensembles to prepare for live performances. Phase III is the build-out of a sound stage for live recording of large ensembles for groups ranging from 15-100 musicians. Teaching studios and the large rehearsal room completed in Phase I will provide an equitable and inclusive environment for private lessons and group music instruction for community youth.
Community Impact
A healthy community is one where safety, education, food, health services, athletics, and the arts are available to all its residents. We take our potential role as a community institution seriously, and we intend to also operate as a home base for new music and percussion programs serving CPS Regions 8, 9, 10, 12, and 13. Throughout CPS there are many strong music programs, and we want to further empower these areas so that all students are provided equal access to quality instruction. (Note that students and community members from all CPS regions and areas of the city will be welcome to participate in the music programs offered.)
Further, these programs will be staffed through partnerships with local music colleges and higher ed music education programs, to give future music educators the opportunity for real-life experiences as community educators before they leave college and begin their career in the classroom. This is another point of differentiation for us — yes, the music programs offered through Merit School of Music, Ravinia, and Old Town School of Folk Music are essential and effective; our program will be singularly staffed by current and future certified music educators.
HARDSCRABBLE MUSIC
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