By Anivia Deng
There are pianos in the dorms, but we can’t play them. How many of you have received noise complaints midday for playing the piano the school provided? Pratt Institute doesn’t have a music department. Yet, as one of my professors once commented, “Half of my students are in a band.” There are many performance artists on campus. Why has Pratt Institute been quiet about this?
I am a classical vocalist who regularly sings in off-campus choirs, but struggled to find practice space. Forbidden by my RA from touching the dorm piano during my first year, I always went into the Chapel, played a few notes on the out-of-tune piano, and sang in the echoing space. Sometimes, I meet a classmate who is a singer-songwriter that practices his newly written songs, and other times, I see people with their amps and basses. The Chapel was our practice room. In the summer of 2023, the Chapel transformed into the Interfaith Commons. The space once intended for church services went from greatly discouring music to a total ban in the fall of 2024 out of the concern of noise.
Pratt used to be a very musical place. Professor Francis Bradley and Reddit alumni of Pratt both described a very active rock, punk, and experimental scene starting as early as the 1980s. Students held DIY concerts on campus, and renowned bands, such as Japanther, Matt and Kim, have their roots at Pratt. Though the scene fluctuates with students coming and going, a strong music momentum existed on campus, with different music groups taking the lead in the 2010s. For example, musicians perform musical happenings in dorms, the Chapel, and studios. However, as Covid hit in 2020, students avoided campus gatherings, and the music scene started to develop away from the campus. The Chapel, the center of almost every music event in the past, no longer saw the same amount of student activities in it. Pratt’s music scene indeed hit a new low.
Each time my Pratt class ends, my eyes always search for places that can be great spaces for musicians. Upon conversation with Professor Francis Bradley, we both believed Pratt should provide music practice rooms for their artists. These rooms should have pianos, drum sets, and amplifiers for electronic instruments. When musicians cook their pieces in practice rooms, let’s forget about soundproofing and be loud and proud. Memorial Hall should be a place to celebrate, and Pratt should also allow student ensembles to perform in the hall to share joy and music.
We are in New York City, where the best jazz is played in cafes, world-renowned singers must tour in stadiums, and classical music is performed at concert halls; how can we not have music at Pratt? This separation between fine art and music must end. I ask Pratt to revive its music scene and support its students in making music; one day, our music will make Pratt a better place.
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