You're a what? Part II

I've been discussing with various people in the last few days the differences and similarities between the fields of Collaborative Piano and Piano Accompanying. It can be a rather frustrating enterprise, with many questions that are difficult to answer:

• Which is the correct term for what we do?
• Is there a difference between the two fields?
• Has Collaborative Piano superceded Piano Accompanying, or is it a politically correct and artificial term coined in academia?
• Why has the term Collaborative Piano only caught on largely in North America?
• Does one need to be an "accompanist" before one becomes a "collaborative pianist"?
• Is there anything at stake in the decision to call oneself a collaborative pianist rather than an accompanist? Does it matter?

More on the subject in the next few days. These are questions that must be asked and are central to this rapidly growing profession of pianists-working-with-other-performers-in-professional-settings that officially has two names, each with a separate bias and assumptions.

Comments welcome as always.

You're a what? Part I