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Details of the practice facilities available to members, and how to book and access.
CMC practice room
About the room
The Chamber Music Club has a practice room which is solely for the use of Club members for the purpose of practice and rehearsal. It is not available to give or receive paid tuition or coaching, nor should it be used to store members' instruments. This room contains a brand new Yamaha upright piano.
Before using the room please visit our Safety webpage and familiarise yourself with our safety arrangements and policies (especially the Lone Worker policy). In order to sufficienly ventilate the room, the window will remain open at all times (subject to review in due course).
N.B. We recommend that no more than 3 people should occupy the room at any one time.
Location
The room is located in the Wilkins basement, B59. To reach the room, go to the north end of the North Cloisters, then down the stairs on your right (next to the entrance to the Physics building).
Exit the building using the fob on the key ring and go though the double doors in front of you, which you can open with the keys. The practice room is immediately on your left; it has two locks – the same key fits both.
Bookings and access to the room
We are currently looking at a online booking solution, for the time being we will continue using the manual system whereby members should book a slot via a paper diary held in the Foster Court Security Office. See below for full booking instructions.
Bookings must be made in person, and the full name of the person making the booking must be entered legibly in the diary; initials and incomprehensible abbreviations will not do. N.B. The Security Officers will not make bookings on behalf of members.
The keys are obtained from the Foster Court Security Office. A valid Chamber Music Club membership card, or valid proof of membership in the form of a receipt from the UCL online store, must be left in the Booking Diary in exchange for the keys, which must also be signed out in the register. You should provide a contact telephone number in case of emergency (see the CMC Lone Worker policy).
Please keep to your slot time and ensure the keys are returned to the Security Office immediately on vacating the room. When leaving the room, please remember to lock both locks on the inner door as well as the outer door.
Point to note
The membership period for each season is from 1 August to 31 July, you can pay your subscription online.
Booking instructions and general regulations
- The room will be available from 8m, with the last booking of the day finishing at 10pm. It may be booked for a maximum of 50 minutes.
- You are permitted to book 1x 50 minute slot per day, and you may make your booking up to two weeks in advance.
Bookings beyond two weeks in advance are permitted only for rehearsals for CMC concerts, which should be marked as such in the booking diary. - The room should be booked by visiting the Foster Court Security Office and entering your name into the CMC practice room diary.
- Report to the Foster Court Security Office to pick up the key at the start time; you should provide proof of membership for the current season - either a membership card or a printed confirmation from the UCL online store and leave a contact number in case of emergency. Once the key is signed out, you are deemed to be 'checked in'.
- We suggest that you sanitise the piano, door handles and anywhere you touch before and after use.
- For the time being the window will remain open at all times for ventilation and to facilitate sufficient air exchange between bookings. Please do not close the window, and ensure the curtains are open when you leave the room.
- The key should be returned to the Foster Court Security Office immediately on vacating the room, and by the end of the designated booking time.
Once the key is signed back in, you are deemed to be 'checked out'. It is not permitted to hand the key to another member even if their practice time is straight after yours; please complete the check out procedure every time you use the room.
N.B. If the room key is not returned to the Security Office by the designated booking end time, after an agreed period of time security staff will contact the member to confirm their situation and raise the alarm if contact cannot be made. - If you are unable to take up your booking, please make every effort to cancel so that others may use the room. Regular failure to use the room when booked without notice may result in your future bookings being cancelled.
- We encourage you to complete fire safety training before using the room.
- You must familiarise yourself with the CMC Lone Worker policy prior to your first use of the room.
- Please also read the CMC Fire Arrangements, in an emergency please call Security on +44 (0)20 7679 2222.
- If an accident/incident/hazard observation/near miss happens, please inform Security and the CMC Chair, and report on riskNET.
Failure to adhere to any of these regulations will result in you not being allowed to use the room.
Haldane Room
The Haldane Room is used for UCL CMC concerts and although the Steinway piano there belongs to the Chamber Music Club, the Haldane Room is not a practice room, and the Steinway piano is not a practice instrument.
On the day of a concert this room and the piano are normally available from 4.00 p.m. for final concert preparations by concert performers (or from 12.00 pm for lunchtime concerts). Performers wanting such access before a concert must liaise with the concert's organiser for access. This is crucial since there are often several performers in any programme wanting rehearsal time on the day of a concert. Performers wanting access before the concert day must also liaise with the concert’s organiser.
Please notify the Chair if you are ever inconvenienced by Club members or others flouting any of these directions.
Chandler House
*At the present time, this piano is not available for individual practice.*
The Club possesses a ‘boudoir grand’ piano, which is kept in Room G15 of Chandler House, Wakefield Street. This is available to Club members for practice for a short period in the early evening, see the Regulations for booking the room and using this instrument.
