Brooklyn Conservatory of Music (BKCM), a 128-year-old nonprofit transforming lives and building community through music, has announced that it has broken ground today on a new 12,000-square-foot campus at One Prospect Park West. The state-of-the-art facility will double BKCM’s capacity to deliver high-quality music therapy and music education, significantly expanding the number of New Yorkers it will be able to serve.
(L-R) Toby Williams (Music Therapy Director, BKCM); Frederick Tang (Board Chair, BKCM); Alexis Joel (Co-Chair, The Joel Foundation); Chad Cooper (Executive Director, BKCM) – Photo by Rod Morata
With its new, second site—just four blocks from BKCM’s historic Park Slope brownstone at 58 Seventh Avenue—BKCM joins the prestigious organizations lining Brooklyn’s cultural crossroads at Grand Army Plaza: Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn Museum, Prospect Park, and Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
The campus expansion to One Prospect Park West will house 13 acoustically designed studios, a performance hall, and a community space, all designed to be ADA-accessible and sensory-friendly. The new space will also become the official home of BKCM’s future Music Therapy Institute, seeded with generous support from Billy and Alexis Joel’s The Joel Foundation. The Institute will have national reach and advance the field of clinical creative arts therapies by serving as a destination for workforce training, research, and advocacy. BKCM’s music therapy program is the largest in New York City, serving 2,700 clients in Park Slope and at 52 sites across the five boroughs.
“Today’s groundbreaking is a thrilling step towards giving thousands more New Yorkers access to the expressive, educational, and therapeutic powers of music,” says Chad Cooper, Brooklyn Conservatory of Music’s Executive Director. “This expansion is such an exciting moment for the entire BKCM community because it gives our music therapy clients, students, and faculty the state-of-the-art space and resources they need to thrive. For more than a century, BKCM has provided New Yorkers the opportunity to learn, perform, and enjoy music – regardless of age, income, or ability. This groundbreaking is the next big step in that proud history and solidifies BKCM’s vital role in the city’s cultural ecosystem in our second century.”
“The new Music Therapy Institute at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music will be a national model for how the arts can support human development, connection and mental health. The Joel Foundation is proud to pledge two million dollars to help make this vision a reality — advancing innovation, training, and advocacy in the field of music therapy. We believe deeply in the power of music and its therapeutic benefits,” said Billy and Alexis Joel of The Joel Foundation. “We are honored to be a part of a cause we believe is, deservedly, on the verge of extraordinary and important growth.”
BKCM is already New York City’s largest provider of music therapy, reaching more than 2,700 clients across 52 schools, hospitals, senior centers, homeless shelters, and other partner sites each year.
“Music is medicine, and this new campus allows us to extend its healing reach,” said Toby Williams, MT-BC, LCAT, Director of Music Therapy at BKCM. “We are proud to grow from a local program into an Institute that can serve as a national model. We are not alone in the clinical practice of music therapy, a growing field, but the scale of BKCM’s community-based model and culturally responsive approach is unique.”
Alongside music therapy, the expansion will increase capacity for BKCM’s beloved programs, including the Community Music School, Suzuki program, and Studio Collective. Students, music instructors, amateur and professional musicians will enjoy greater access to lessons and classes, as well as free and affordable space rentals for practice and rehearsals, performances, and recitals.
The groundbreaking at 1PPW marks the first step in a two-phase expansion to broaden BKCM’s impact and serve more New Yorkers. BKCM is raising $16M for Phase I, with over $14M already committed by The Joel Foundation, the Morris and Alma Schapiro Fund, city and state partners, and other generous donors. Because BKCM is also retaining its home of 80 years, its Park Slope Victorian mansion at 7th Avenue and Lincoln Place, Phase II will raise additional funds for investment in and expansion of that campus.
“I’m thrilled to deliver federal resources to help the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music expand its campus in Park Slope to serve more artists, students, and families across the city,” said Senator Charles Schumer. “I am proud to have supported BKCM’s new facility with $2 million in federal funding, and that during COVID I passed the Paycheck Protection Program to help vital arts organizations like BKCM stay open. Congratulations to the BKCM team, and to every artist and educator who brings this wonderfully creative place to life.”
Erika Mallin, Executive Director of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) said, “Each year, thousands of schoolkids across New York City discover the transformative power of music through the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music’s innovative and inclusive educational programs. As a supporter of the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music for nearly 40 years, NYSCA is proud to invest in this strategic expansion, which will empower BKCM to deliver the profound benefits of the arts to even more New Yorkers and further strengthen our state for generations to come.”
“I’m honored to celebrate this extraordinary milestone for BKCM and for our city- a major step forward for arts and culture, mental health care, and disability justice,” said State Senator Zellnor Myrie. “I’m proud to represent BKCM in the State Senate and I know how vital it is to build spaces designed for everyone, with access and inclusion at their core. BKCM’s new Music Therapy Institute embodies that vision. Congratulations to BKCM, to all of today’s partners, and to every person whose life will be touched by this incredible new Institute.”
“Music is at the center of Brooklyn life, and few institutions have played a greater role in bringing music to our communities than the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music,” said State Senator Andrew Gounardes. “BKCM’s crucial music therapy and education programming hasn’t just helped heal and inspire countless neighbors—it’s enriched our collective cultural life. This new facility means even more Brooklynites can access all that BKCM’s music has to offer. That’s something worth celebrating. Thanks to BKCM and The Joel Foundation for bringing this exciting project to fruition.”
“The Brooklyn Conservatory of Music’s new music therapy and music education campus is a transformative space designed for everyone, with accessibility built in from the ground up. By expanding access to creative, evidence-based music therapy, BKCM is building a more compassionate and inclusive city. Congratulations to BKCM on their groundbreaking and for this major step forward in mental health care and disability justice,” said Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, Chair of the Assembly Mental Health Committee.
“My Office has proudly supported this expansion project over the last four years because we know how deeply BKCM’s music education and therapy programs impacts the lives of our constituents,” said Council Member Shahana Hanif. “I’m thrilled that more New Yorkers will now be able to participate in the Conservatory’s offerings in Park Slope and in schools and partner sites throughout the city. This groundbreaking is a true triumph for the arts in our neighborhoods.”
“PBDW Architects is proud to partner with BKCM on their new outpost in Park Slope, which will help expand and improve the important services that BKCM provides to NYC. BKCM Prospect Park West introduces purpose-built studios for music therapy, music instruction and practice, and performances, as well as much-needed, dedicated space for casual gathering of BKCM’s vibrant community,” said James D. Seger AIA LEED AP, Partner, PBDW Architects LLP. “The new facility is envisioned as an inclusive and engaging environment for all members of the BKCM community. It will be fully accessible to people with special needs, including music therapy rooms designed to provide a calming sensory environment for neuro-divergent clients. The new studios and concert hall are designed to contain and optimize acoustic quality within the rooms. The community space will support flexible programming, from communal lounge space to casual performances to presentations. The project exemplifies BKCM’s commitment to improving people’s lives and enriching the local community through music.”
The Brooklyn Conservatory of Music (BKCM) aims to transform lives and build community through the expressive, educational, and therapeutic powers of music. Our Park Slope home offers private music lessons, group classes, ensembles, and music therapy. Through our community engagement programs, we bring high-quality music education and music therapy to 7,000 students and clients at 90 public schools and community-based organizations across the city’s five boroughs. We strive to be a safe, affirming, and inclusive place for all people to come together and experience learning, joy, creativity, and healing through music. For more information, visit: https://bkcm.org/.
