Brooklyn Conservatory of Music Begins $17M Campus Expansion

The Brooklyn Conservatory of Music cut the ribbon on a new, expanded campus located at 1 Prospect Park West in Brooklyn, New York.

The $17 million state-of-the-art facility will increase the capacity of the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, a 129-year-old nonprofit organization, to offer high-quality music therapy and music education services to as many as 15,000 New Yorkers over the next ten years.

Housing a concert hall, community space, thirteen acoustically-treated studios, and the organization’s Music Therapy Institute, the facility will provide space for therapy services, lessons, classes, and rehearsals, including those offered through the Community Music School, Suzuki program, and Studio Collective.

Support for the new facility came from Alexis and Billy Joel’s The Joel Foundation, after which the concert hall will be named.

“The opening of BKCM Prospect Park West is an investment in the life-changing possibilities of music in New York City and nationwide,” says Chad Cooper, Executive Director of the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. “In our expanded home, we now offer students, music therapy clients, musicians, families, and faculty the space to learn, create, and, most important, connect. Our impact resonates throughout Brooklyn as we work to close the music education gap in public schools, and across the country as we strengthen and expand the field of music therapy through our Music Therapy Institute. BKCM is proud to begin this ambitious new chapter in our storied history and expand our role as a key player in the city’s vibrant arts and culture ecosystem.”

“Over the past 23 years, we have developed a citywide community music therapy program on the strength of an approach that is client-centered and culturally responsive,” adds Toby Williams, Director of the BKCM Music Therapy Institute. “As we build on this work to launch the Institute, we are excited to connect with music therapists around the country, foster new partnerships, and play our part in advancing the field on a national level through research, training, and advocacy.”

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was celebrated with a musical parade from the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music’s existing location at 58 7th Avenue to the new facility on Prospect Park West. The parade, which was open to the public, featured live music from dozens of the organization’s ensembles.