Watch a video about BKCM’s campus expansion, narrated by BKCM parent and supporter Peter Sarsgaard.
WELCOME TO BKCM’S NEXT CHAPTER.
In the fall of 2026, BKCM will open a second musical hub just four blocks from our home at 58 Seventh Avenue. Located on Grand Army Plaza, across from the Brooklyn Public Library and Prospect Park, our 12,000 square foot campus expansion at One Prospect Park West will pave the way for us to more than double the number of New Yorkers we reach. It will also house BKCM’s new Music Therapy Institute. We’ve come this far thanks to the extraordinary generosity and leadership of Billy and Alexis Joel’s The Joel Foundation, the Morris and Alma Schapiro Fund, our City, State and Federal partners, and dozens of private donors.
We invite you to support this once-in-a-generation project that will dramatically expand the availability of music education and music therapy in New York City.
Behind-the-Scenes Updates
Construction is well underway at BKCM Prospect Park West! The photos in this section offer a look at the progress throughout the space.
13 NEW STUDIOS
MORE SPACE TO LEARN & CREATE
In the first section, you’ll see the progress so far on one of the space’s 13 new acoustically treated, ADA-accessible studios for music therapy sessions, classes, lessons and rehearsals. Swipe for a look at how one of our studio spaces looked before construction began, how it looks today, and a rendering that represents how the final space will look after construction is done.
PERFORMANCE HALL
MORE SPACE TO PERFORM
The heart of the new BKCM Prospect Park West space will be a 1,450-square-foot Performance Hall. This space will provide a beautiful setting for student recitals, concerts and cultural events, serve as a flexible rehearsal space for large classes and ensembles and greatly reduce our reliance on external rentals.
As of April 2026, the acoustically treated subfloor in the Performance Hall has been installed, and we can start to see the shape of a space that will hold many wonderful nights of music in the years to come.
COMMUNITY SPACE
MORE SPACE TO CONNECT
For the first time, BKCM will have dedicated community space where students, music therapy clients and families can relax in between lessons or sessions and enjoy each other’s company.
Construction for the community space is underway on the north side of BKCM Prospect Park West, which faces Grand Army Plaza and will also house much-needed additional office space for BKCM staff.
The BKCM Music Therapy Institute
Establishing a National Model for Music Therapy
BKCM 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. It will also become the official home of BKCM’s future Music Therapy Institute, seeded with a generous $2 million gift from Alexis and Billy Joel’s The Joel Foundation.
“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 it’s 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.”
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 more than 3,000 clients at more than 50 sites across the five boroughs.
To help us bring this bold vision to life, make a donation of any size below or get in touch at development@bkcm.org!
IN THE NEWS
CRAIN’S NEW YORK BUSINESS
Park Slope Music School to Open $16M Facility for Music Therapy Institute
NEWS12 BROOKLYN
Rebuilding Brooklyn: Music Therapy Program Expanding in Park Slope
PARK SLOPE PULSE
Brooklyn Conservatory of Music to Expand in Park Slope
Elevating Our Mission
BKCM’s mission is to transform lives and build community through the expressive, educational and therapeutic powers of music. With the expansion, we will be able to put our mission into practice at scale. Here’s how:
| TODAY |  | TOMORROW |
| BKCM connects 7,000+ New Yorkers with high-caliber music education and music therapy. |  | We’ll have the capacity to reach as many as 15,000 New Yorkers each year. |
| Our Music Partners teaching artists bring weekly music education to students at 36 partner sites, including 26 Title I schools. |  | We’ll invest in dozens of additional partnerships, reaching even more Title I schools and neighborhoods. |
| Our Music Therapy program works with 2,500+ clients of all ages and abilities, at BKCM and 50 partner organizations across NYC. |  | We will double our music therapy partnerships across the city, strengthening our role as a national leader in the field. |
| 3,150+ emerging and professional musicians are part of our BKCM Studio Collective, booking nearly 8,500 hours of deeply discounted rehearsal time yearly. |  | With 13 more studios, our Studio Collective will provide thousands more musicians with an increasingly scarce commodity: affordable, well-equipped places to rehearse. |
| In FY25, BKCM students and clients received a record $705,000 in direct and indirect financial aid. |  | As we grow, we’ll be able to increase financial aid so that hundreds more families can access the musical opportunities they deserve. |
Hear From Supporters
THANK YOU TO OUR GOVERNMENT SUPPORTERS!
NEW YORK CITY
NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS
BROOKLYN BOROUGH PRESIDENT ANTONIO REYNOSO
FORMER BROOKLYN BOROUGH PRESIDENT ERIC ADAMS
NYC COUNCIL SPEAKER’S OFFICE, ADRIENNE E. ADAMS
SHAHANA HANIF – DISTRICT 39
BRAD LANDER – FORMER DISTRICT 39
JENNIFER GUTIÉRREZ – DISTRICT 34
CRYSTAL HUDSON – DISTRICT 35
SANDY NURSE – DISTRICT 37
ALEXA AVILÉS – DISTRICT 38
RITA JOSEPH – DISTRICT 40
MERCEDES NARCISSE – DISTRICT 46
JUSTIN BRANNAN – DISTRICT 47
NEW YORK STATE
NEW YORK STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS (NYSCA)
JO ANNE SIMON – NY STATE ASSEMBLY, 52ND DISTRICT
ROBERT CARROLL – NY STATE ASSEMBLY, 44TH DISTRICT
ZELLNOR MYRIE – NY STATE SENATE, 20TH DISTRICT
ANDREW GOUNARDES – NY STATE SENATE, 26TH DISTRICT
ROXANNE PERSAUD – NY STATE SENATE, 19TH DISTRICT
U.S. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED FUNDING
SECURED BY SENATORS CHUCK SCHUMER AND KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND
Support the Project
Help Us Build BKCM’s Future.
Our expansion is powered entirely by the generosity of private donors and the support of government grants. Because of this remarkable commitment, BKCM’s vision for the future is already taking shape. We are deeply grateful to those who have stepped forward to help us write this next chapter in our story.
Yet the work is far from finished. To open the doors of music therapy and education to thousands more New Yorkers, we must continue raising resources to support this effort. That’s why we’re asking friends and community members not only to maintain their annual giving over the next several years, but also to consider extraordinary gifts or pledges to bring this expansion to life.
Together, we can create a lasting legacy — one in which music heals, empowers and transforms lives for generations to come.
Other Ways To Give
Many have opted to deepen their impact at this moment in BKCM’s history by spreading their giving over several years. For example, a $25,000 commitment can be fulfilled through a pledge of $5,000 per year over five years. To explore a pledge that works best for you, please contact Adam Johnston at adam.johnston@bkcm.org or 347-529-4684.
DAF donations can be made to BKCM directly using our EIN: 11-1532426. If you would like assistance making a DAF gift, please contact BKCM’s development staff at development@bkcm.org. Please note that per the Internal Revenue Code, you cannot receive goods, services, or impermissible benefits, like membership benefits, as a result of a DAF gift.
Appreciated stock donations are fully tax-deductible for itemizers. To make a gift of appreciated stock, you may click “Donate Stock” on our donation form, or you can give our information to your broker:
Bank name: Vanguard
P.O. Box 1101
Valley Forge, PA 19482
Account Name: The Brooklyn Conservatory of Music
Account Number: 67910591
DTC: 0062
Tax ID Number: 11-1532426
Visit Our New Space
Schedule a Visit
Reach out to our Director of Special Projects, Adam Johnston, at adam.johnston@bkcm.org, or another member of BKCM’s leadership team to schedule a visit.
