Urban Chronotopies Workshop (ACU) · RESEARCH · Presentation · UQAM
How do musicians rehearse?
A study of the spaces—official, repurposed, and precarious—where Montreal musicians practice.
Field
Montreal, QC · 45.50°N · TIOHTIÁ:KE Unceded Territories
Period
2021 → in progress
Questionnaire
2026
Coming soon…
◉ 45° 30′ 39.16″ N / -73° 33′ 54.29″ W
Research Notebook
§ 01 — THE PROJECT
From the kitchen corner to the subway tunnel.
Type
Qualitative Research
Dir.
Martin Lussier, Professor, Department of Social and Public Communication
Research Assistants
Charlet, Brethomé, Ph.D. candidate Lucile Ouriou, Ph.D. candidate Léa Desbiens, master’s student
Field
This research focuses on the rehearsal spaces used by musicians in Montreal, whether they are official (recognized venues, dedicated studios, etc.) or unofficial (repurposed spaces, squats, places of worship, homes, and everyday spaces).
It aims to gain a more detailed understanding of the places, contexts, and times when musicians rehearse—from garages to professional studios, including, for example, a piano in a corner of the family kitchen or a subway tunnel.
RESEARCH FRAMEWORK
According to many figures in the music community, as well as some research, rehearsal spaces play a central role in the development of music scenes, as they serve not only as spaces for collective practice but also as venues for networking, leisure, and socializing. Others have highlighted the role of affordable rent for rehearsal spaces in the emergence of Montreal’s music scene on the global stage at the turn of the 2000s. Still others point out that having dedicated rehearsal spaces available affects rehearsal times, often making them longer and more regular.
In this context, this project aims to document the “less visible” conditions under which musicians work in Montreal, thereby shedding light on a significant portion of musical practices that remain in the shadows, as well as on the diversity of possible practices and the people involved in them.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVE
Q·01
Where do female musicians rehearse? Where do male musicians rehearse?
Q·02
How are these spaces shared among multiple groups?
Q·03
Under what material conditions are musical practices possible?
Q·04
When do the musicians rehearse in these spaces? What do they do there?
§ 02 — The Approach
Four types of
01
Quantitative
Online Questionnaire
Shared in Facebook groups for musicians, through music organizations, and in training programs.
Four main themes: cCharacteristics of spaces, facilities, fattendance, artistic and demographic profiles
90 COMPLETED / 262
2021–2022
02
NETNOGRAPHY
Online Documentation
Monitoring how these spaces are described online when people are looking to share, rent, or find them. Collecting listings and descriptions circulating on major social media platforms.
Live
Anonymized
03
Qualitative
Interviews
A series of interviews aims to gain a more detailed understanding of the characteristics of these spaces, their uses, the activities that take place there, and the relationships that develop within them.
16 interviews
2022–2024
04
Documentary
Audio-Video Recording
Over the coming months, audio-visual recordings will be made to document the wide range of contrasting experiences associated with these rehearsal spaces. These recordings will shed light on practices and spaces that generally remain hidden from view.
In Progress
2025–2026
§ 03 — Media Monitoring
What we read— , and elsewhere.
- Monitoring
