Marjorie Kahn has won the Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition, has sung at Venice’s La Fenice and Rome’s Teatro dell’Opera, and has wowed critics throughout the United States and Europe. But she has one important audience she has never impressed: her next-door neighbor.
This neighbor’s living room abuts Kahn’s living room, where Kahn used to practice. That changed when the neighbor requested that she move her piano to—and practice in—another room. At first, Kahn was taken aback by the request, which seemed unnecessarily extreme, and proposed several alternatives. Unfortunately, none satisfied the neighbor. Eventually, Kahn reluctantly decided to renovate her apartment, creating a music room in what used to be the guest room. This turned out to be a wise move.
“Now my music room is not disturbing any neighbors since there are no walls that connect to other apartments,” Kahn says. “I am much happier now and so is my neighbor. In fact, we have become very good friends over the years.”
Not all stories end on such a positive “note,” however. Consider the situation of Elena McEntire, for instance. A mezzo on the New York City Opera roster, she has had upsetting run-ins with neighbors who yell or pound on her door exactly at those times when she is “focusing hard and preparing for an audition with a few moments to spare,” a phenomenon she attributes to Murphy’s Law. Alayne Faraone faces an equally unpleasant situation: The woman who lives below her bangs incessantly on the ceiling or rings Faraone’s buzzer non-stop when Faraone is practicing. Another singer, Carla Roberts Fisk, recalls once hearing someone in the building across from where she was staying yell, “Shut up!” when she hit a high note.
It’s not surprising that even the most talented singers encounter difficulties with neighbors. As an article in Multi-Housing News magazine recently pointed out, “All condos are noisier than private housing, partly because in private housing, one is listening to one’s own family or friends and this is not noise (which is technically known as undesirable sound).” Add to this scenario a widespread unfamiliarity with classical music and the power of well-trained voices, and the stage is set for problems.
How can singers avoid these problems, and resolve them when they occur? Here are several approaches.
1. Give practicing a leading role in your housing search
One of the most effective ways to head off future problems is to broach the issue of practice before you sign a lease or purchase agreement. If you’re renting, ask your prospective landlord if it would be a problem to sing. The response you receive should help you make the decision whether to move in or look elsewhere. If you’re purchasing an apartment, you could conceivably make practicing a condition of the purchase. McEntire was able to do this: Her purchase agreement stipulates that that she can practice between the hours of 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. She believes that similar stipulations can be written into rental agreements.
Each situation is different, of course. If you’re competing against other prospective purchasers or renters for an apartment, your singing may count against you. But if you’re in a position to obtain official approval for your practicing—on paper—it is advisable to do so.
2. Practice politeness
Sara Gebhart of the Washington Post points out that “apartment dwellers often forget that they live practically on top of strangers. Walls, floors, and ceilings are often not enough to stop all sounds from traveling.” With this in mind, a little consideration is in order. Don’t practice at 3 a.m. or for hours on end. If you move into a new apartment or new neighbors move in next door, talk to them about your practicing. Specifically, tell them when and for how long you typically practice, and invite them to let you know if your practicing ever disturbs them.
Many apartment buildings have rules that include quiet hours. Adhering to them means you are both respecting others and, from a legal standpoint, protecting yourself. Singers Mike Chadwick and his fiancée, Suzanne Levine, set good examples for practicing etiquette. They never practice for longer than two hours and never after 8 p.m. Former city resident Maren Montalbano used to adhere to similar policies, never practicing “really early in the morning.”
Follow the lead of these singers. As a general rule, don’t practice at times when noise from a heavy metal rock band playing next door would disturb you the most.
3. Negotiate
Unfortunately, as the experiences of McEntire, Faraone, and Fisk illustrate, not every neighbor is so understanding. If a complaint arises, the best first step is to speak directly to the complainer and try to work out a compromise. The Cooperator, a publication that focuses on the management of coops and condominiums, supports this approach. “It’s sometimes possible to solve noise problems through simple negotiation,” said a recent article. “Neighbors in adjoining units, for example, may be able to work out mutually acceptable ‘sound schedules.’”
When negotiating, try to accommodate reasonable requests as much as possible. What kinds of requests are unreasonable? A request for a singer to practice entirely off-site is a hypothetical example. Experts agree that people should expect noise in an urban environment and that the noise should be tolerated, as long as it doesn’t take place in the wee hours of the morning and the source of the noise has made some effort toward reducing its volume when feasible. In the words of a Cooperator reporter: “Noise is a part of the fabric of the city; the only way to enjoy silence is to leave.”
3. Soundproof
Another option is to soundproof your apartment. How can singers manage this? For one, you can choose an apartment that has thick walls. This tactic has always worked for Kala Maxym, who has never encountered neighbors who complain.
If you’re not blessed with thick walls, you can still take some steps toward effective soundproofing. Mark Varian, president of the construction firm John Gallin & Son, has several suggestions, including “hanging heavy draperies on windows or even walls adjoining other apartments, installing good wall-to-wall carpeting, building a hung ceiling with batting on top, and covering all exposed vertical pipes with insulation or even drywall.” He warns that in some cases, however, it’s less expensive for singers to rent studio time than soundproof their apartments.
Carmi Bee, president of RKT&B Architects and a longtime promoter of artist working and living space, agrees. “It’s very hard to soundproof an apartment,” he says. “Beyond supplying white noise machines to all your neighbors or hanging heavy velvet drapes around the area where you practice, there’s not much you can do. That’s why it’s often best to work things out through negotiation. ”
4. Try mediation
If you’ve abided by your building’s rules as well as the rules of common courtesy, tried to negotiate when necessary, and soundproofed your apartment to the best of your ability, and yet your neighbors still complain, you may want to consider mediation. During mediation, an objective, trained expert listens to both sides of the dispute and tries to engineer a non-binding, voluntary solution that is acceptable to both parties.
Mediation is much less expensive than litigation. In New York City, for example, several communities provide free mediation services. Mediation is a cost-effective means of “resolving disputes prior to arbitration [arbitration results in binding decisions] or litigation,” says the American Arbitration Association. If mediation is an option when a dispute with a neighbor gets out of hand, take advantage of it. Do whatever it takes to avoid litigation, which is not only expensive, but also time-consuming and highly stressful.
5. Don’t despair
Despite the difficulties singers such as Faraone have experienced with neighbors, it is important to point out that plenty of neighbors are supportive of singers. “It’s a gift to live near an opera singer,” says Bee. “I wish I did.” McEntire recalls that her neighbors from previous apartments used to thank her in the hallways and tell her, “You have a beautiful voice! Tell me when and where you will be singing. I would like to come hear you.” Many of Chadwick and Levine’s neighbors tell them that they enjoy hearing them sing. A pair of my former neighbors invited me to sing at their wedding.
So, city singers, don’t despair. Practicing doesn’t always present problems. When it does, make sure to play by the rules and be polite, but don’t forget that you, too, have rights. If your problems persist, try to maintain your “sing froid.” Follow the example set by Faraone, who strives to remain calm when coping with the behavior of her troublesome neighbor. “I’m a yoga instructor,” she explains. “Who is better equipped to handle this kind of situation than a yogi? I simply ‘let it go.’”
At the very least, recognize there may be hidden benefits in these sorts of situations. They may help you lose your fears of critics, audiences, and competition judges. After all, you’ve survived the toughest crowd in town.
