Lesson Notes for Students

My latest post for Music Teacher's Helper looks at different methods of writing and sending those all-important lesson notes. Many teachers feel strongly about this aspect of teaching, so fill out the poll, leave a comment and join in the discussion.

Music Teachers: How do you write lesson notes for your students?

The Musical Wonder House of Wiscasset, Maine

This slideshow is a collection of images from the Musical Wonder House of Wiscasset, Maine via Curious Expeditions on Flickr. And to think that I spent fourteen summers in Maine, less than an hour away in Brunswick without ever knowing about this unique place...

Susan and Sarah Wang Play Amy Beach's Prelude from the Two Piano Suite

This fine performance of the Prelude from Amy Beach's Suite for Two Pianos Founded upon Old Irish Melodies is played by Susan and Sarah Wang. You can find more videos of the Wang sisters on their YouTube channel.



(Via Sound Mind)

Susan Tomes, Pianist and Writer

I received a very pleasant surprise this morning--an email from one of my favorite pianists, Susan Tomes, with whom until now I had never had the honor of corresponding. In case you're not yet familiar with Susan's work, she is a chamber pianist who has performed with a huge number of musicians, including the Domus Ensemble and the Florestan Trio (take a look at her extensive discography to get an idea of the breadth of her work). In addition, she has written two books, A Musician's Alphabet and Beyond the Notes : Journeys with Chamber Music, and is a regular contributor to the Guardian.

I was also very glad indeed to see that Susan also writes a blog, which can be found on the front page of her website (you can subscribe to her blog's RSS feed here). Recent articles include a trip to the art store to doctor a score for an upcoming Haydn concerto, some musings on an upside-down piano, experiences battling slugs, thoughts on the verticality of chamber music, and a mouth-watering photo of a hazelnut meringue with double cream and fresh raspberries.

Best of luck to Susan with both her upcoming performances and writing projects!

Readers' Commentary - 29 May 2009

The Accompanist or Collaborative Pianist? article from earlier in the week has generated some very well thought-out comments from various people. In case you haven't yet seen the Wholenote article by Colin Eatock that generated so much response from both myself and others, you can find it here.

Susan Eichhorn Young writes:

Pianists who indeed work in tandem with singers and instrumentalists are most DEFINITELY collaborative! They do not "just accompany" but rather, are part of the performance process - including coaching prior to that performance! "Accompany" to me indicates being without any kind of self-direction. Why must we have a hierarchy when it comes to creating art? Why can't it be collaborative in whatever way the artists choose together? I know many collaborative pianists who have saved the butts of many singers during a performance!! If that isn't collaborative, I don't know what is!

I disagree with Eatock. Gestures are not empty if they are there to make a change and acknowledge a definite artist with whom another artist is making a statement with. I always bow WITH my pianist. Any pianist collaborates on making a performance the best it can be. That in itself should be enough. The gesture to give a collaborative pianist an equal billing by using this term, allows for the recognition that what they do is IMPERATIVE to the outcome!

Claude sums up the situation with this short but definitive take on the subject:

Agree with Becky - "pianist" says enough. The moment that the pianist is referred to as an accompanist or collaborator is the moment that a hierarchy is created.

Here is part of an extensive comment by Michael Monroe:

And, as has been often said, even when collaborative pianists are playing sonata rep by Beethoven/Brahms where the musical role is unquestionably that of an equal, there is a sense in which we're often accompanying "someone else's" recital. Not always true, of course, but if Violinist A is making a Carnegie Hall debut, the pianist's social/cultural role is that of accompanist, regardless of what the musical role is. Samuel Sanders was a great man, but when he played recitals with Perlman, he was an accompanist in a useful sense of the term, no matter what he or Perlman might have said. The people bought tickets to hear Perlman. (I'm not saying I think that's a great thing, but I do think it's true.) Even Jeremy Denk playing for Joshua Bell still kind of fits that mold - though less so. There are always degrees.

However, your random Twitter search is unsettling. (To be fair, probably most random Twitter searches are unsettling.) I agree that "collaborative piano" makes more sense for degree programs than does accompanying and, at least for now, we pretty clearly need the two tracks of piano and ... something else. Frankly, it's a shame that 95% of career-seeking pianists aren't given more CP training, but that's a whole other story. Hey, we can start calling it CPR, Collaborative Piano Rulers? (OK, the r needs work.) "We've got a singer who needs a diction intervention. Stat!" "I'm on it - I've got a DMA in CPR!"

I do think the term is here to stay, mainly because it's being so widely adopted by degree programs. It might seem less odd to the next generation than it does to me. I also think the moniker works nicely as a title for your blog, by the way. Maybe it's that the extra syllable (blog) helps to balance out the mouthful that is the word "collaborative."

Thanks, Michael--I've never thought about the title of my blog in that way. (For more information about the reason I picked the title back in 2005, be sure to see my upcoming lecture at the Vancouver International Song Institute at 4pm on Saturday, June 13.)

James Douglass writes of the fine line that many of us walk in the profession:

I've been in many discussions regarding this issue - there are many tangential aspects. I'm interested in presenting a concise summation. "Collaborative" is a term intended to simplify the areas within which a pianist may work under one umbrella - as opposed to "pianist" for chamber and "accompanist" for vocal, choral, or other miscellany. A secondary concern/goal would be the respect issue.

On programs we should simply use the term "piano" in the same sense that our recital partners are referred to as soprano, violin, etc. They are not referred to by their field title or academic classification (voice performance, string performance, etc.).

We will rarely be seen in the same public light and focus as most of the partners with whom we work - it is simply part of the package of choosing to work in this challenging and very fulfilling field. The tricky balance is to create respect for us and the field through the quality of our work and demeanor while tactfully standing our ground artistically and professionally.

For more comments from well-known musicians (including Natalie Doucet-Lalkins and Bob Koenig) be sure to check out the original post.

Word of the Day: Accomp-er-collaborative Pianist

accomp-er-collaborative pianist n. A term given in reference to a pianist by another musician (often a singer or instrumentalist) beginning with intent to state the word "accompanist", which is then interrupted mid-word upon the realization that the person to whom reference is given might be offended by the archaic term and may prefer to be referred to as a "collaborative pianist" out of a gesture of respect on the part of the speaker, feigned or otherwise: My name is Edward and I shall be assisted tonight by my accomp-er-collaborative pianist Ashwyn.

Introducing The New Dilettante

The classical music social network Dilettante has just launched a major upgrade, and social media junkies might to check out this unique corner of the web. In addition to a more navigation-friendly design, the reworked Dilettante features expanded offerings of user-created content, music, discussions, and events. I would also like to welcome the many first-time visitors who arrived via the latest news section from the Collaborative Piano Blog article links.

It is said that the value of a social network rises exponentially with the number of people that utilize it, so if you value a separate social network devoted to the art of classical music, be sure to sign up right away, and check out my own Dilettante profile while you're at it.

2 for 1 Tickets for The Shadow This Weekend

One of the most fascinating shows I've seen this year was the opening night of Tapestry New Opera Works' The Shadow, now into its concluding weekend at the Berkeley Street Theatre. In case you're still interested in checking out one of the remaining shows, take a look at this Tapestry press release from a few hours ago advertising a limited offering of BOGO tickets*. Remember, the secret code for the ticket deal is is "2 for 1"...

Tapestry is offering a limited amount of 2 for 1 tickets for the May 28, 29 & 30 performances of The Shadow. Don't miss your chance to see this critically acclaimed new Canadian opera.

"Complex characters, a suggestive score and a timely theme about unpaid debts make Alex Poch-Goldin and Omar Daniel’s The Shadow a contemporary opera worth singing about." NNNN - Glenn Sumi, NOW Magazine

“A clever mix of comic opera and high melodrama, this humorous and heightened world premiere seems designed to be enjoyed by opera aficionados and lay-folk alike.” 4 STARS - Byron Lavoilette, Eye Weekly

“The recession has done no harm to debt collectors, whose booming business gives an unforeseen timeliness to The Shadow, the new opera by composer Omar Daniel and librettist Alex Poch-Goldin. This engrossing 90-minute piece, which was performed for the first time on Thursday, tells the story of a postman who borrows too much money in order to deceive and impress a bored upper-class woman he meets on his route.” Robert Everett Green, The Globe & Mail

REMAINING PERFORMANCES:
May 27 at 8pm- PWYC (day of performance; limit of 2 per order)
May 28 at 8pm - 2 for 1 ticket offer
May 29 at 8pm - 2 for 1 ticket offer
May 30 at 8pm - 2 for 1 ticket offer

The Shadow runs approximately 90 minutes with no intermission.

GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY!
To reserve your 2 for 1 tickets call the Canstage box office 416.368.3110 and quote the code “2 for 1”

Regular tickets are $49

*BOGO = buy one get one free

Le Wrath di Khan

Opera meets Star Trek.



(Thanks, Wendy!)

Accompanist or Collaborative Pianist?

I received a pleasant surprise earlier this evening upon noticing that I had been mentioned in an article by Colin Eatock in The Wholenote entitled When is a Collaborator Not a Collaborator? Although Colin is eager to support the role of pianist as an equal partner, he questions the rebranding of the traditional moniker:

But I have my doubts about whether simply inventing a new term is going to have any effect. The enterprise smacks of Newspeak and political correctness. If "collaborative pianist" is universally accepted (and this hasn't yet happened), will people's perceptions necessarily change?

Well put. However, let's realize that the label "collaborative pianist" is not a newly-invented term but goes back to the mid-80's when Samuel Sanders first coined it in New York. I suppose one could argue that the initial use of the nomenclature was "politically correct" as it spread throughout academia in the mid-90's. But the accusation that it is a politically correct one is to bring the discourse back 15 years when the collaborative pianist meme was first gaining traction.

To address Colin's question as to whether a change of name will actually change people's perceptions--let's take a look at a live search for the terms "accompanist" and "collaborative pianist" on Twitter to see what people are writing about the subject at the present. A search for "collaborative pianist" at present shows little beyond my blog postings and retweets--people simply don't use the term extensively on Twitter yet. A search for accompanist shows a lot more hits (around 3-6 per day), with some entry-level job postings, others from singers and instrumentalists talking about the unnamed pianists they work with. Here is a random sampling (with usernames deleted--cut and paste onto Twitter Search if you want to know who said what):

exhausted after 4 shows in 2 days. breaking in a new accompanist on Sunday, followed by the last show before our ONE day off...

What part of as fast as humanly possible did the accompanist not get? At least i'm used to it and just worked it.

Re-reading Zinn and contemplating how to be an accompanist-activist.

is wishing that he had a portable accompanist to use whenever he felt the urge.

I just learned that you can't always trust everyone. Even if they are your choir's accompanist.

Looked really cute at hair auditions. Too bad the accompanist confused a folk ballad with a polka.

Well I didn't win but I also didn't pay the accompanist because she was rubbish.

Two observations based on what I've seen on the two Twitter searches:

1. The title "collaborative pianist" is still barely catching on in the public consciousness.
2. The title "accompanist" not only implies inferiority, but anonymity and sometimes comes with a tendency towards a borderline-abusive tone on status updates.

So what can you do?

Here's one idea: when you talk, write emails, write articles, or post status updates to Facebook, Twitter, or other social networks, use "collaborative pianist", but use it in a perfectly natural tone without the slightest pretense. The common usage of "collaborative pianist" in this way will slowly but surely make the usage of "accompanist" obsolete.

But ignore the issue and some of the most talented, talented, hard-working, active, and consistent money-earners in the entire musical profession will stay anonymous, will remain just the accompanist. Otherwise a 20-year journey to bring more respect and public consciousness to our art may have been for naught.

I'll end with more observations from Colin Eatock:

I also find myself wondering if singers and instrumental soloists are really buying into this idea: if they are, then why haven't I heard of a "collaborative soprano"? And how can pianists describe themselves as "collaborating" if the person they're trying to collaborate with doesn't see the relationship in those terms?

Until pianists achieve full equality - not just in concert billing, but also in repertoire selection, artistic interpretation, audience appreciation, fees, and other things as well - isn't changing the name just an empty gesture?

Previously on the Collaborative Piano Blog:

What Is Collaborative Piano?
What Collaborative Piano Is Not
You're a What?
You're a What? Part II
You're a What? Part III
Support Staff?
Vocal Coach vs. Voice Teacher

3 Things Pianists and Piano Teachers Should Take Into Account When Setting Hourly Rates

I get lots of queries from readers regarding my opinion on what collaborative pianists and piano teachers should charge in various locales. While I'm honored that people regard my opinion on these matters, I have to honestly say that it's none of my business recommending to people what they should charge for either teaching or playing.

But as time goes on, I've been noticing that there are several factors that come into play when setting rates, so here is a list of 3 important ones I've noticed in the profession. This post is not the result of any research or scholarly work, but from watching the freelance scenes in a number of places over many years. After some thought, I've also decided to make no distinction between collaborative pianists and piano teachers, both of whom seem to make their choices based on these criteria.

1. Your Education, Background, and Reputation. What kind of degree do you have? Have you done graduate work in piano performance, piano pedagogy, or collaborative piano? Do you belong to professional organizations such as NATS and MTNA? Do you have significant experience teaching piano or playing the violin sonata repertoire? Are you recognized as an authority in your field? The more experience and reputation you have, the greater credibility you'll have charging a higher fee. On the other hand, if you've only got Grade 10 piano and are just starting to play for festivals and competitions, you might not want to charge top dollar...yet.

2. Your geographic location. The myriad different geographic regions a pianist could choose to work from are not alike economically, demographically or in the level of cultural infrastructure. An area's supply/demand and cost of living (as well as how they are faring during the recession) can also largely determine how much one should charge for services.

For example, collaborative pianists in New York City are known to charge much higher for the same services than they would in the Midwest, because of both the level of pianists working there and the amount of money needed to make a living in Manhattan. An area's reputation in the arts can also determine how much hourly rates can fluctuate. Vancouver is recognized as one of the top breeding grounds on the continent for young pianists. There is tremendous demand for the top piano teachers there, thus the hourly rate for top piano teachers in Vancouver (often above $100 per hour) reflects that.

3. Where you want your price to lie in relation to others in your area. If you're new to an area, you might want to price yourself below the hourly average so you can get more entry level work. Beware: lots of new clients don't necessarily mean good clients. There also may be a perception that you're not qualified enough and might miss out on the best collaborative partners or students.

On the other hand, pricing yourself above the average might automatically advertise you as an authority in your field and bring you quality if not quantity. But just be prepared for the potential clients who hang up on you as soon as you tell them how much you charge.

-------

A few thoughts...

Not every pianist or piano teacher actually gets to set their own rate. Institutional teachers usually have little or no control over their rates when teaching at a school. The reasoning behind this is that teachers in a music school (who are in effect retail workers) are there to deliver a product, not price it, and have their rates either set by the employer, negotiated, or have their rate pre-set on a pay grid.

Schools that hire collaborative pianists for occasional work and pay them usually have fixed rates. I've also heard of schools that cap rates for pianists freelancing there.

At the end of the day, a freelance pianist or piano teacher can literally charge whatever they want, whether ridiculously low or insanely high. A combination of the market in which they work and their own professionalism will determine eventual success or failure.

Do these three factors ring true with your own experience? What other factors can you think of that would influence hourly rates?

[Update] Here's another resource you might want to check out: Freelance Switch's Hourly Rate Calculator.

Previously on the Collaborative Piano Blog:

Martin Katz's The Complete Collaborator: The Pianist as Partner
How To Get Work as a Freelance Collaborative Pianist
How To Charge For Festival Accompanying
10+1 Ways to Advertise Your Services as a Collaborative Pianist
9 Categories of Excuses for Missed Rehearsals and Coachings
Support Staff?
Singers: How Do You Choose a Coach/Pianist?

Abandoned Piano in Prypiat

This piano of unknown make (Soviet?) has been left to the elements in the abandoned city of Prypiat, Ukraine since the Chernobyl disaster of 1986.

(From mikestuartwood's photostream on Flickr)

Martin Katz's The Complete Collaborator: The Pianist as Partner

One of the most anticipated books about the art of collaborative piano has just been released: The Complete Collaborator: The Pianist as Partner by University of Michigan faculty member and celebrated pianist Martin Katz. Here is the book's blurb from Oxford University Press:

Take more than forty years of partnering celebrated soloists in concerts all over the world, add nearly thirty years of teaching the art of accompanying, and you have the qualifications for such an audacious title as The Complete Collaborator . All the tools for understanding and executing first-class collaborative piano are here, paired with audio recordings of many of the musical examples performed by the author himself, along with two vocalists, on a companion website.

The obvious topics: breathing, languages, flexibility, and creating a collaborative atmosphere are discussed at length, articulated clearly for the curious novice and proving beneficial even for the experienced professional. In addition, two significant chapters deal with orchestral accompaniment, reflecting today's requirements for any professional accompanist. Oft-neglected details such as beginning a piece together, telling stories with piano solos, tuning, and balance between the players are also covered herein.

Dubbed the "Dean of Accompanists" by the Los Angeles Times, this teacher of sold-out masters' classes presents his material clearly and incisively, but always with the humor and wit for which he is known. Whether it be read by the curious novice, the amateur who wants to accompany as best he can, or the experienced professional seeking confirmation or a new look at the role of any partner, Martin Katz's The Complete Collaborator is all one needs.

The Complete Collaborator looks like the book that's going to set the standard on collaborative pianism for a long time to come. If you've read or are reading the book, leave a comment with your thoughts.

(Via @lizpianist on Twitter)

The American Contemporary Music Ensemble Plays Elliott Carter's Triple Duo

I love listening to the works of Elliott Carter, but you have to know what to listen for in order to appreciate his music. The key to understanding his Triple Duo is the multi-threaded conversation between 3 pairs (cliques?) of instruments (and instrument-types): flute+clarinet, violin+cello, and piano+percussion. This excerpt is played by pianist Eric Huebner and the American Contemporary Music Ensemble conducted by Donato Cabrera.



(Via the San Francisco Symphony social network)

A Musical Theatre Blog Worth Following

Susan Eichhorn Young's new blog Once More With Feeling is off to a fine start, with lots of great articles for those of us who are working, or will soon be working in the performing arts. Should it hurt when I belt? looks at some of the technical particulars of the belt voice. Are you READY to audition for Music Theatre? has a useful shopping list of materials and attributes needed in the MT audition room. Above all, I appreciate the honesty of Building Craft/Building Business:

Let's face it - we have chosen a business where 95% of us are unemployed at any given time. Even in great economic times! So we will be out of work in this field a great deal over the course of our lifetimes. How do we "armour up" for that business side as artists?

I think, as hard as it is, we have to look at ourselves as product. We are selling something - so as the saying goes "what kind of ho will be you be today"? Sometimes it feels like that. However...

Business is NOT personal. Business is NOT emotional. Business is business. Find that side of you. GRAB IT! USE IT!

What are you selling? How do you want to be seen? SIMPLIFY if you can. Obviously many of us are rather complex creatures and therefore our talent is complex and can't always be put in a box - thank god - but that's what makes the business happy -

Best of luck to Susan on her blogging journey! And be sure to subscribe to the Once More With Feeling RSS feed for regular updates.

Rowan Atkinson's Conductor Skit

Watching this video of Rowan Atkinson's "The Conductor" from the 1981 Amnesty International Secret Policeman's Ball, I'm struck by the fact that many orchestral musicians watching this will probably sigh at the number of times they have sat through a conductor's grandstanding theatrics, but with far less humor...



Previously on the Collaborative Piano Blog:

Rowan Atkinson Miming Piano Playing at the Secret Policeman's Ball
Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie Piano Master Class Skit
The 2009 MIT Piano Drop
Hysterical Rant About Pachelbel's Canon
Another Insane Piano-flinging Trebuchet Video

One More Ticket Giveaway Winner

12pm EDT has passed, the contest has closed, and I am glad to announce Johane Ansell of Toronto (@saskatchewhoa on Twitter) as the final winner in the Tapestry New Opera Works/Collaborative Piano Blog free ticket giveaway. Johane wins two tickets to this Sunday's performance of The Shadow at the Berkeley Street Theatre with her answer to the question "Why Contemporary Opera?":

it gives audiences & participants opportunities to explore: sounds, ideas, periods, and boundaries. and who doesn't like to explore? :)

The contest is now closed, and unfortunately the final pair of tickets since won't be given away since there weren't enough entries. I would like to thank Tapestry New Opera Works for making these tickets available to this incredible new work for the opera stage--I went to the world premiere last night and enjoyed it immensively.

Poll Results: In what year did you first hear of the term "collaborative pianist"?

I've long been interested in the growth and development of the term "collaborative pianist" since Samuel Sanders first coined it to the present day. Last week I posed the following question on a readers' poll:

In what year did you first year of the term "collaborative pianist"?

Here are the answers after the first 50 votes:

• 1990 or before - 6%
• 1991-1995 - 16%
• 1996-2000 - 8%
• 2001-2005 - 36%
• 2006-present - 34%

Most interesting. Although my sample size was small and probably consisted of exclusively Collaborative Piano Blog readers (where the poll was publicized), this is my observation from the data:

After initial slow growth in the 80's and slightly larger growth in the nineties (dropping off in the last few years before 2000, as I had noticed before in the musical community), the term "collaborative pianist" only gained real steam after 2000 when universities started creating or renaming their programs to reflect the term, possibly helped by the growth of this blog and its not-so-hidden agenda (to spread the word about the possibilities of the collaborative piano field).

Any other thoughts on the data? Don't forget that the poll is a continuing one, and you can still vote here.

We Have a Winner - And Two More Pairs of Tickets Left To Go

The Wednesday noon passed with only one entrant in the Shadow ticket giveaway contest, and I am pleased to announce Sheila Sky as the winner of two free tickets to see The Shadow at the Berkeley Street Theatre this Saturday night in Toronto. Here is Sheila's winning entry that answers the question "Why contemporary opera?":

Big sound, big ideas, big surprises!

Thanks for the entry, Sheila, and I'll forward your info to Tapestry right away so they can contact you about how you can pick up your tickets for Saturday night.

Which leaves two pairs of tickets for the Sunday matinee still unclaimed. Therefore, I am announcing that the contest is held over until Friday, May 22nd at noon. To enter, all you have to do is write a 140-character-or-less answer to the question "Why contemporary opera?", leave it as a comment on the original contest posting, and email it to me (collaborative piano at gmail dot com). I'll pick and announce the winners on Friday afternoon. Get to work!

Speedlinking - 20 May 2009

Here is the latest batch of interesting links I've found and mentioned on Twitter:

• Exhausted at this time of year? Minervity suggests 10 Ways to Stay Creative While Exhausted.
• If you're in New York City this summer, you might want to check out the Metropolitan Opera's Summer Recital Series at various outdoor locations throughout the five boroughs.
• The recession is hitting some U.S. communities harder than others. Take a look at the AP Economic Stress Index to see how your area is faring.
• Best of luck to NY-based singer and teacher Susan Eichhorn-Young on the launch of her new blog Once More With Feeling.
• Local American Idol-like competitions with a classical twist might just be one of the ways to build new audiences interested in what we do. Greg Sandow looks at the possibilities in Classical idol -- scalable.
• Yay! The arts are once again front and center in the U.S., thanks to spokespeople such as Michelle Obama.
• Who's your muse? Do you even have one? Lee Siegel in WSJ looks at the declining roles of muses in the arts.
• We're #10! Invesp Consulting's blogrank service now lists the Collaborative Piano Blog in tenth spot on its list of the top 25 classical music blogs.

Bösendorfer Model 280 Porsche

Not your average piano. More custom Bösendorfers can be found here.

(Via high end piano guy's photostream on Flickr)

One Year Ago on the Collaborative Piano Blog

Here are some interesting past posts from mid-May of 2008:

• Cool photo finds galore, including the Hello Kitty Piano, Pink Chelsea Piano, Where Not To Put a Piano, and the Beethoven Action Figure.
• More Growing Pains featured a very perceptive comment by JY on developing collaborative pianists.
• I launched my studio site, which has thrived in the last year and now sports a cool new redesign.
  

Staying Off Autopilot

A recent Op-Ed article by David Brooks in the New York Times looks at current thought regarding excellence and how to get there. What seems to be the consensus (espoused in books such as Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers: The Story of Success) is that our concept of "genuis" might seem like a God-given talent, but is actually the result of a lot of hard work over the course of many years. Brooks writes:

The latest research suggests a more prosaic, democratic, even puritanical view of the world. The key factor separating geniuses from the merely accomplished is not a divine spark. It’s not I.Q., a generally bad predictor of success, even in realms like chess. Instead, it’s deliberate practice. Top performers spend more hours (many more hours) rigorously practicing their craft.

But it's not just the hours logged in the practice room. The work has to be conscious:

The mind wants to turn deliberate, newly learned skills into unconscious, automatically performed skills. But the mind is sloppy and will settle for good enough. By practicing slowly, by breaking skills down into tiny parts and repeating, the strenuous student forces the brain to internalize a better pattern of performance.

If there was ever a true case for slow practicing, this is it. Mindful practice requires more effort up front and a lot of taking apart further into the learning process, but the rewards more than repay the time invested.

(Via From the bench)

Previously on the Collaborative Piano Blog:

Slow Practicing
Non-Structured Practice Time
Technique Week
15 Reasons Why Practicing Technique Can Improve Your Time at the Piano

Free Ticket Giveaway Deadline for The Shadow in Toronto is Noon Wednesday

There are still a few days left to win one of three pairs of free tickets to Tapestry New Opera Works' upcoming production of The Shadow at the Berkeley Street Theatre in Toronto next weekend. All you have to do is answer the question "Why contemporary opera?" in 140 characters or less--for more information on how to enter the ticket giveaway, check out this previous posting with competition rules and regulations. I hope to see your entries in the next few days...

Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie Piano Master Class Skit

Via @missmussel, this classic skit features Stephen Fry as a rather incompetent piano teacher and Hugh Laurie (aka House) as his hapless student:

Poll: In what year did you first hear of the term "collaborative pianist"?

It's no surprise that a big part of my mission here at the Collaborative Piano Blog is to spread the usage of the term "collaborative pianist" as denoting the pianist who rehearses, works, and performs with other musicians instead of the traditional (and slightly derogatory) "accompanist". I've always wondered about the spread of the collaborative pianist meme throughout the profession from the time when Samuel Sanders first used the term to the present. On my latest poll, I'm asking the following question:

In what year did you first hear of the term "collaborative pianist"?

The choices are 1990 or earlier, 1991-1995, 1996-2000, 2001-2005, and 2006-present. The poll will be on the right-hand sidebar for the next week or so, and you can also answer register your answer on the PollDaddy site.

I'm also very interested in learning where you heard the term for the first time. Please feel free to leave your comments below.

Vespera Ensemble Seeks Pianist for 09-10 Season

The Vespera Ensemble of Toronto is looking for a pianist for the coming season. For more information, take a look at the position's job listing at workinculture.ca. About Vespera:

The Vespera Ensemble of Toronto is an auditioned group of professional and semi-professional singers dedicated to performing new music. Along with their classical focus, Vespera embraces popular genres of music from the 20th century, including jazz, gospel and beyond. We are very fortunate to have a unique blend of excellent singers, both choral and soloists of many styles.

L'Étang from Loeffler's Deux Rhapsodies

The Loeffler Deux Rhapsodies is a wonderfully evocative work that I've only had the pleasure of playing once around 14 years ago, but would love to work on again some time. This video of the first movement, "L'Étang", is from a Camerata Pacifica concert featuring oboist Nicholas Daniel, violist Richard Yongjae O'Neill, and pianist Kevin Fitz-Gerald.

Gigs: The Next Step

Brian Case's Freelance Switch article on 10 Simple Steps to Landing More Gigs has recently been food for thought. Here are some of his points that I find useful for pianists of the collaborative variety:

1. Keep a Polished Resume and Portfolio
7. Extend Your Reach Beyond Local Jobs
9. Don't Stop Hunting For Your Next Gig
10. Professionalism, Honesty, and Confidence.

#1 is important, as having your marketing info (whether it be business card, resume, or website) available can quickly introduce people to your background and specialties when meeting prospective clients. I also like #7 and #9, as thinking a step beyond your current engagements, especially in this difficult economy, can provide useful next steps for both expanding the geographic reach of what you do, as well as finding ways to get onto the next rung of the gig ladder.

Above all, I like #10, as having a reputation for those three qualities will go a long way towards allowing one to build social capital in the musical community. Pianists with good reputations are usually the first ones to get hired in any situation.

Tapestry Ticket Giveaway: 3 Readers Will Each Receive 2 Tickets to The Shadow in Toronto

Since the runaway success of the first ticket giveaway I presented last month, I am pleased to announce the following:

Tapestry New Opera Works has just offered Collaborative Piano Blog readers 3 groups of two tickets (6 in all) for its upcoming production of The Shadow to be presented at the Berkeley Street Theatre, Downstairs in Toronto May 21-30.

One pair of tickets will be for the 8pm performance on Saturday, May 23rd. The other two pairs will be for the performance of Sunday, May 24 at 4pm.

As before, there will be a contest. Here are the details:

Competition Rules and Regulations

1. Answer the following question in 140 characters or less (NB: 140 characters, not words):

Why contemporary opera?

Be inventive, clever, erudite, witty, or enigmatc. Just be aware you have only 140 characters in which to answer the question.

2. Once you've written your short but succinct answer, you have to do two things:

a) Email it to me at collaborativepiano [at] gmail dot com - this is so I can reach the authors of the winning entries.
b) Leave it as a comment on this posting so readers can follow the contest entries as they appear.

3. The deadline for entries is Wednesday, May 20 at 12pm Eastern Daylight Time. After that I'll go over all the entries, choose the winners, announce them that evening in a separate post, and forward the winners' names and email addresses to Tapestry New Opera Works so they can be contacted by a Tapestry staff member about how to pick up their free tickets for the 23rd and 24th.

4. Note to Twitter users: if you're entering the competition and you want to rebroadcast your entry on Twitter, be sure to add the #newopera hashtag following your entry (which means that you'll only have 130 characters to explain why contemporary opera rocks).

5. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can either comment anonymously or invent a nom de plume for your comment. Just be sure to send me your real email address when you submit your entry to my email address (see 2a).

Ladies and gentleman, put your thinking caps on, and I look forward to seeing short but definitive answers to the question "Why contemporary opera?".

I would also like to thank Tapestry New Opera Works for making these tickets available for what promises to be one of the most memorable productions of Toronto's 08-09 season.

Oscar Peterson Trio Live in Italy 1961

Teaching an intermediate student one of the Oscar Peterson Jazz Exercises out of the Grade 8 RCM book, I decided to show her a video of Peterson playing in order for her to get a sense of his pianistic style. This is the video I chose--Oscar Peterson on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and Ed Thigpen on drums playing Gerschwin's "The Man I Love" in Italy in 1961. Such ease and comfort at the keyboard is a pleasure to watch as well as hear (BTW, that's a Petrof that he's playing). Also take a look at part 2 and part 3 from the same concert.

Pianists: How many hours a day do you spend at the piano?

Practicing, coaching, playing for lessons, rehearsing, performing--it's all time spent at the piano. How many hours a day do you do it? Enter your answer either on the sidebar of the blog (I'll leave the widget up for the next week or so) or you can go directly to the poll's page here.

Update: I just took the poll widget off the sidebar, but you can still vote and see the results at the above link.

Practicing For Pros

Cameron Mizell at MusicianWages.com has written a very useful guide to Establishing Good Practice Habits as a Professional Musician. He is correct in recognizing the need for honest self-assessment without the presence of a teacher:

If you don’t study with a private teacher, then it’s up to you to evaluate your own skills. Record yourself whenever you can, date the recording, and save it. I learn the most from video taping my gigs. Seeing myself play live really helps diagnose the weaker points in my guitar playing and musicianship. I find recording to be the best method of self assessment available, and listening to recordings made over a year ago really helps me chart improvements.

Although I sometimes need to force my eyes open to watch whenever my playing is recorded on video, there is no better or more honest way to gauge the level of your playing. [Also useful and no less painful: videotape yourself teaching!]

Cameron's sections on goal-setting, prioritizing, and time management are a must-read. It can be harder to schedule practicing when you're a pro, and since you no longer hear the motivational talk from a teacher to get you fired up every week, you'll have to create that impetus yourself.

Previously on the Collaborative Piano Blog:

31 Days to Better Practicing: The Complete Series
15 Ways To Add 10-minute Practice Blocks To Your Routine
Organize Your Practice Time Like a Stage Director
Degree Programs in Piano Pedagogy

Musical Theater vs. Opera

Patricia Causey's Musical Theater Talk on BlogTalkRadio looks at current issues relevant to the musical theater world. Her April 16 episode, Musical Theater vs. Opera - Double-dipping Between the Two is particularly interesting, with differing views on whether opera and musical theater styles are converging or moving apart. Running time is around 1 hour 30 minutes.

[Update: I've deleted the embedded BlogTalkRadio widget, which is set to play automatically and might end up becoming irritating after a while. Click on the link above for the program.]

TorontoStage.com Interviews Carla Huhtanen

Soprano Carla Huhtanen, who will be premiering the role of Allegra in Tapestry New Opera Works' upcoming production of The Shadow, was recently interviewed by TorontoStage.com. Here she is (in the Tapestry office, with the main square of the Distillery District behind her) talking about her career, the fine line between singing and acting, and the new opera process:

In Memoriam Richard Miller

Richard Miller, one of the most important pioneers in the field of vocal pedagogy and Professor Emeritus at Oberlin College, passed away Tuesday at the age of 83. This message by Marvin Krislov, president of Oberlin College, was forwarded to me this morning:

I am deeply saddened to report the death of Professor Emeritus of Voice, Richard Miller. Richard died Tuesday, May 5, 2009.

It is impossible to capture in words the significance of Richard's contribution to the field of music as an artist, teacher, and mentor; it was utterly extraordinary. After 42 years of advancing the art of teaching and the name of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Richard retired at the end of the 2005-06 academic year. His students have continually occupied the great performance stages of the world and have transmitted his passion for music to audiences and students alike. His innovative approach to teaching has been well documented through his prodigious output as a scholar and his methods have shaped the curricula of private teachers and conservatories throughout the world.

An adjunct staff member in the Cleveland Clinic Foundation's Otolaryngology, Head, and Neck Surgery Department, an associate of Collegium Medicorum Theatri, and a member of the American Academy of Teachers of Singing, Richard was a frequent adjudicator for vocal performance competitions around the world. He wrote eight textbooks and more than 100 articles on voice pedagogy research and performance, and edited three collections of songs.

Richard founded Oberlin's Otto B. Schoepfle Vocal Arts Center, an acoustic laboratory that measures vocal production and provides visual and auditory feedback to the singer. The center was the first of its kind to be based within a music school.

He was honored many times for his contributions to the profession. He won the Voice Foundation of America's Voice Education Research and Awareness Award in 2006, the New York Singing Teachers Association's Recognition Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2002, and was honored with the French Ministry of Culture's Chevalier/Officier, L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1990.

Richard was an avid painter, gardener, and pianist, and vigorously pursued his work following his retirement from Oberlin. He will be greatly missed by all of us.

Sincerely,

Marvin Krislov

My thoughts and prayers go out to the many people who have worked with and been influenced by Richard over the years.

Message on the Oberlin Conservatory of Music site

How Richard Miller changed the way we think about singing

A conversation with Richard Miller

(Via Craig Tompkins)

More About Appoggiaturas

New York-based pianist and vocal coach Jennifer Peterson recently wrote another guest post, this time an article about appoggiaturas in Italian recitatives at Hammermusik. Her approach takes a middle ground between the needs of singers, conductors, and the need for authenticity: 

My approach is influenced primarily by 1) my goal to empower singers to make the music directly from their own instinctual powers, 2) knowing that NO TWO CONDUCTORS WILL AGREE ON WHAT IS CORRECT, and 3) Mrs. Gulli’s “what is more beautiful.”

Jennifer Peterson on Appoggiaturas in Italian Recitatives

Previously on the Collaborative Piano Blog:

Appoggiaturas: Some or All of the Time in Mozart Recits?
Coaching Recitative: Subliminal Recit Technique

Another Useful Recitative Coaching Resource

9 Categories of Excuses for Missed Rehearsals and Coachings

Is There Room For All Of Us?

Getting work in classical music is often viewed as a zero-sum card game with only so much available money on the table to win. Those who do win are more often than not the ones who are the last to remain at the table, like Amneris in Aida. Victoria-based mezzo soprano and life coach Rebecca Hass' The Amneris Complex on The Resonant Life looks at the envy shared by the singing community, only some of whom will be the chosen ones who actually get to work:

Often as a professional singer, I hear my colleagues of a younger age discuss how competitive the field is. And it isn’t just in the operatic field, as I teach at a college for musical theatre studies, and hear the same thing there. When you start this conversation you can gather a crowd quickly. Soon we are all sitting around and nodding our heads in agreement about how hard it is to be a singer and how competitive it is and gosh, a lot of singers just won’t make it (what ever make it means). Welcome to the voice of fear. Cold, hard, gut wrenching ‘keep you up at night’ fear. These are our scary ghost stories about the horrors of the profession. Suddenly the word competitive means that there isn’t enough for all of us. Someone has to go. It seems to me rather like there are 6 people on a desert island with only two water bottles and it is hot.

The constant competition of an ever-growing group of musicians chasing an ever-dwindling number of jobs is one of the central issues facing the profession today. We ignore it at our peril.

And yet, the power lies within each of us not just to desire fitting into pre-existing job slots, but to create new ones, to think out-of-the-box, sideways, and laterally in order to grow musical life in ways that nobody has thought of, and in ways that can generate a product with both musical integrity and the potential for income. 

What are some avenues for musicians to create new growth in classical music?

Steinway Releases Q1 2009 Results

Steinway (NYSE:LVB) just released its first quarter 2009 fiscal results, with net earnings of 0.12 per share:

First Quarter Results

• Sales of $70 million, down 26%
• Gross margin decreased to 26.6% from 29.1%
• Operating expenses reduced $4 million, or 17%
• Net income of $1 million, down 49%, which includes a gain on debt extinguishment
• Diluted earnings per share of $0.12, down 48%

Balance Sheet Highlights

• Cash of $27 million
• Revolver availability of over $86 million
• Working capital of $223 million

For more financial numbers and outlook, take a look at the full Steinway press release.

San Francisco Symphony Launches Social Network

The San Francisco Symphony has just taken a big step in growing their online community by launching their own social network. From the press release I received a few minutes ago:

The new San Francisco Symphony social network is a place where musicians and music fans can meet each other, post profile information, add and view video, links, and photos, hear music and audio, start groups and discussion topics and add their own comments, post and share events, and organize their own events and music around a passion for classical music and the San Francisco Symphony. The site also offers backstage blog posts from musicians, staff and conductors, exclusive video and audio content, interviews, and live chats with musicians and guest artists. The social network is built on the Ning platform.

“The launch of the new San Francisco Symphony social network is key in our efforts to be a nexus for classical music and music-making, not just locally in the Bay Area but also globally in the online space,” said San Francisco Symphony Executive Director Brent Assink. “Media, and the way people use it, is changing at an accelerated rate, and we’re responding to the needs and interests of a very passionate and opinionated musical community. The San Francisco Symphony social network offers music lovers a way of communicating with each other, and with us, using a tool that’s fun and natural for the way people meet and share information now.”

San Francisco Symphony Social Network

The social network joins the already large family of SFS websites, including @SanFranSymphony on Twitter, a YouTube channel, Facebook page, SFS Kids, and Keeping Score: revolutions in music.

(I've already joined--see you there)

Tapestry's The Shadow Premieres at the Berkeley Street Theatre Downstairs May 21-30

Tapestry New Opera's 08-09 season comes to an end this month with The Shadow, a collaboration between librettist Alex Poch-Golden and composer Omar Daniel. Featuring Carla Huhtanen, Peter McGillivray, Scott Balluz, Keith Klasse, and Theodore Baerg, The Shadow looks at love, pretension, debt, and deception in Barcelona's underworld. From Tapestry's press release:

How far would you go to get what you want? How far you would overextend yourself financially to grab the life you think you are entitled to live? Set in Barcelona at the turn of the twentieth century, The Shadow is a tale of intrigue, desire and deception. In this world premiere, writer Alex Poch-Goldin and composer Omar Daniel have created a world of duplicity in which a humble postman assumes the identity of a wealthy suitor to win a woman’s love. Determined to maintain the ruse at all costs, he is haunted by The Shadow as he spirals deeper into debt - an allegory for our time.

Raoul is a simple mailman desperate to be a more interesting person. He fantasizes about marrying the beautiful Allegra, the daughter of a wealthy gentleman on his mail route. In his daydream, he ‘wills’ himself into a dashing figure of the night -- Hernando tells Allegra that he is a wealthy fabric merchant and she is seduced. With a little ‘help’ from the local Don, Raoul succeeds in his transformation and successfully woos the beautiful Allegra. But when Raoul can’t pay back the Don, the mysterious Shadow begins to follow him. What will be the ultimate cost of Raoul’s greed and lies?

The Shadow plays at the Berkeley Street Theatre Downstairs on the following dates:

May 21 at 8pm (Press & Community Night)
May 22 at 8pm (World Premiere)
May 23 at 8pm
May 24 at 4pm (all regular tickets 50% off)
May 27 at 8pm (PWYC day of performance)

May 28 at 8pm
May 29 at 8pm
May 30 at 8pm

Tickets are available through the Canadian Stage Company, TicketWeb, or by calling 416-368-3110.

View Larger Map

Vancouver International Song Institute's Collaborative Piano Conference Schedule for June 12-14

Here is the complete schedule for the Collaborative Piano Conference at the Vancouver Interational Song Institute to be held at the University of British Columbia from June 12-14. The Collaborative Piano Conference is part of VISI's Collaborative Piano Retreat which runs from June 10-17.

Vancouver International Song Institute

Conference for Collaborative Pianists

Friday June 12

10:30 WELCOME FORUM

Our panel of distinguished collaborative pianists tackles some of the questions for educators and students in this field: Why choose to pursue this professional track instead of solo piano? What should a Collaborative Piano Degree program comprise? Stowe, Garrett, Dawson, Griffiths, d’Amato, and others.

12-1:30 LUNCH

1:30 Professor Margo Garrett, The Juilliard School

“Scenes from a life”

An interview with the distinguished master teacher of Collaborative Piano. Her artistic life in collaboration includes a panoramic spectrum of musical partners, and collaborations with composers and writers of some of the great American art song works of our time. Many VISI faculty have been mentored by Professor Garrett, who returns to VISI to share her knowledge with the next generation of collaborative pianists.

2:30 INTERVIEW WITH FACULTY Michelle Swab, Memorial University

Ms. Swab has conducted an extensive survey of professional collaborative pianists, inquiring about the collaborative dynamics between singers and pianists. She will pose some of the in-depth questions from her research survey for general input from faculty and discussion with students and audience members.

3:30 4:30 Professor Alison d’Amato, University at Buffalo

“The Care and Feeding of a Singer”

Many collaborative piano students may read this title and think “Oh, good, I need to know how to be there for my partner for his/her intense vocal and artistic demands.” But, really, shouldn’t you be concerned about your own needs too? What are you, chopped liver? This talk will address the artistic and emotional responsibilities of the collaborative pianist, exploring the often-elusive balance of supportive behavior, self-awareness, and self-preservation that leads to strong and fulfilling collaborations.

7:00 pm Dinner for Speakers

Saturday June 13

10:30 Professor Ken Griffiths, Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music

“Playing the Text – especially in Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin”

Given the frequency with which young undergraduate tenors are assigned excerpts from Die schöne Müllerin, it is usually under such conditions that most young pianists encounter these genial Lieder for the first time. Hence, it is easy to assume that what passes for acceptable at that time becomes established as ‘this is how it goes’. Only when a pianist has studied sufficient German language and literature is (s)he really in a position to begin to ‘play the text’ and become truly one with the singer and the work.
My intent is to focus on selected Lieder from the cycle, place each in context and then address specific pianistic and interpretive issues in each Lied. This will be facilitated by the involvement of faculty singers, so that the pianists will have experienced art song singers to respond to.

12:00 Lunch

1:30 FORUM: What’s in a name? “Accompanist,” “Collaborative Pianist,” or something else again?

A schism has formed over the identification of our profession. The two terms bear many implications, and each has its advocates and detractors. Further, the musical world of vocal and instrumental partners, the network of music presenters, teachers of young artists, and the general concert-going public have become quite uncertain as to the “new rules.” Some have embraced the new term, while in some circumstances insisting on the term “collaborative pianist” can even put one at professional risk. What are the merits and problems of each term – and is there a third option yet to emerge?

2: 30 Arlene Shrut, New Triad for Collaborative Arts

“This Side the Ground”

Dr. Shrut shares her many joys and lessons learned from a creative life both launched and anchored in art song. Arlene will discuss how her performing, teaching, coaching, entrepreneurial activities, and overall point of view are inspired by Agee’s poetry: “all is healed, all is health.”

3: 30 Break

4:00 Christopher Foley, The Royal Conservatory of Music

“Blogging the Piano in Ensemble”
Begun as a side project in 2005 by Dr. Foley, the Collaborative Piano Blog has grown to become one of the top classical music blogs in the world and a major source of information and community for those in the collaborative piano field. This workshop will look at the resources available on the Collaborative Piano Blog, its history, goals, business model, and growth as a new media outlet for both classical music and music education.

8:00pm Art Song Recital: VISI Artists in Concert - Simson, Garrett, Shay, Switzer, Guth, d’Amato, McMurtry, and more.

Sunday June 14th

1:00- 3:00pm Masterclass with Margo Garrett

A masterclass focusing on the pianist’s art, with facilitated collaboration by VISI faculty singers.

3:30 Professor Laura Loewen, University of Manitoba

“Passionate Diction”

Discovering the unique cadence of each language helps us to understand the nuance of words and music in art songs. The sounds and rhythms of language are the tools through which poetry’s expression is infused into Art Song, turning vowels and consonants into emotional memes laden with implication and passion.

4:30 Michelle Swab, Memorial University of Newfoundland

"Pianist/Singer Bows and the Embodiment of Relationship in Western Classical Art Song Recital"

The human body is intrinsic to musical activity. Carefully coordinated body movements produce musical sound, bodies hear and respond to music, and music events contain a great variety of bodily motions. Ethnomusicologists and musicologists alike are increasingly interested in the various meanings inscribed in the moving, interacting, experiencing, transforming and resisting bodies of performers and participants at music events. Drawing upon contemporary scholarly literature theorizing the body, this presentation examines the bowing movements of pianists and singers in art song recital. Many collaborative pianists reject the subordinate framing inherent in the sequence and style of bowing movements dictated by traditional performance etiquette. Thus, bowing gestures have emerged as a particularly embodied site in the ongoing negotiations for equality between pianists and singers. Attention will be given to the ways that pianists may contest subordinate framing through movement and gesture. Factors such as gender, age, personality and the personal rapport between the singer and pianist will also be considered. Illustrative video examples will be shown, drawn primarily from the eight-volume Voices of Our Time DVD recital series.

7:30pm Collaborative Piano Party

A gathering for students and professional collaborative pianists. Stories from the stage – and behind the scenes will be shared in this private event for all participants of the conference.

All events are subject to change - please check the VISI website for updates. Singers, instrumentalists, and the general public are welcome to audit all events except the Sunday evening party. Rates for auditing are $10 for a morning or afternoon session, $20 per day, or $50 for the entire weekend.

The VISI Collaborative Piano Conference is generously sponsored by the Vancouver Airport Accent Inn. Group rates are also available for VISI auditors. For more information, call (604) 273-3311.

Update: More travel links are listed below...

Accommodation at the University of British Columbia
Accommodation Off-Campus
Finding the Song Institute
Getting to Vancouver
Tourism Vancouver
If you're looking for a roommate for the duration of VISI or want to find someone to carpool with to UBC campus, try the VISI Facebook group.

Readers' Commentary - 4 May 2009

More noteworthy comments from the last few days...

The Career in Parentheses? posting continues to generate more thoughts. Lydia writes about the tension between roles of artist/collaborator and pianist for hire: 

I like the idea of viewing myself as a collaborator in an ensemble situation,instruments or voice. I believe in my importance to make the performance a success. However, usually, when they look for a pianist to work with them, for audition or concert, they are the ones paying the pianist which they call accompanist. Because of this payer and payee relationship, we are not on equal ground any more.

Many of them balked on my fee as well. I charge them my lesson fee. I get call from music students in a university near me. Many of them get staff pianists or their school friends to play for free, and only call me when neither option worked. Somehow, they can always find some other pianists that would do it for peanuts.

Often, the thought of only getting paid 1/4 of what I can charge as a piano teacher makes me drop the chance, unless I just want the experience.

I want to collaborate, but I find it hard when considering the payer-payee situation.

GradNovice's response:

I am in agreement with those comments with respect to fees, and charging them the same fee as lessons: it sets a standard and importance for both collaborative gigs and teaching gigs. I gauge both teaching and collaborations to be equal, because no matter what, at the end of the day, you are working with someone else to make music. That, and when peers and parents see you charge the same amount in both scenarios, I find they mentally eventually understand that musical collaborations are also a branch of a one's musical education, and not merely musical byproduct.

I do have a comment re: Lydia - "Somehow, they can always find some other pianists that would do it for peanuts".
Unfortunately, I am one of them, only because I am a novice in the market. I find myself working for friends whom I personally know are strapped financially. In some instances (like in smaller towns, say, Kingston), some teachers just exclusively commit their students to "questionable" accompanists (with whom they are BFFs), but who barely learn the music but still charge an arm and a leg. I have found myself needing to sacrifice even my musical esteem to find work. All in all, I am battling constantly with the insatiable need for experience, and also the worry of "overcharging", especially when the payer knows you're new to the scene, or competition (some good, some not...).

Alex Thio's comment on Creating First Experiences in Collaboration:

Jennifer's article on "Teaching Your Piano Students How to Accompany" is indeed insightful and practical. It's a wonder how so many of us (including yours truly) possess the enviable skills as collaborative pianists, but don't (or dare not) impart said skills to our piano students. Well, this certainly has to change - and it starts with me!

You go Alex! Bring the knowledge to the next generation.

Lizpr adds:

I think any pianist serious about collaborative work, especially with singers, should be *required* to take voice lessons. Back at UBC, as a piano student, boy, did my phrasing change when I switched to voice. When I accompanied singers, I paid way more attention to their need to, well, breathe! I also learned when a singer is hanging on to a high note, that's not the time to dilly-dally on the keys - and an "artistic accelerando" was a good idea! LOL

(Past life disclosure: Liz and I both took Class Voice at UBC 20 years ago.)

Thanks for the comments everyone--your opinions bring a wealth and diversity of viewpoint to the blog. Keep them coming!

Creating First Experiences in Collaboration

Piano teachers interested in enabling first collaborative experiences for their students might want to check out Jennifer Thomas' Teaching Your Piano Students How To Accompany on the Music Teacher's Helper Blog. Jennifer quite correctly diagnoses the misconception that many piano students (and their teachers) have regarding their performing goals:

Most piano students take lessons with the intention of being solo performers, without realizing that at some point in their years as a pianist, they will undoubtedly be asked to take on the roll as an accompanist. The piano is the most commonly used instrument to accompany both vocalists and instrumentalists, and all great accompanists you see today, at some point in their training, had to learn the art of accompanying.

At the professional level, it is much more lucrative (and reliable in today's economy) for pianists to become collaborative players rather than soloists. The relationships built through the process of working with others rehearsing and playing great repertoire are some of the most satisfying aspects of music-making for those that take collaborative playing seriously. Teachers that enable these experiences for their students may in large part end up creating more lifelong musicians (whether professional or amateur) if the experiences are of a positive nature.

I also like Jennifer's 10 Be-Attitudes of Accompanying at the end of the article. Here are four of the attributes that are particularly valuable:

3. Be able to play while watching a conductor, or soloist.

4. Be an active listener, and watcher.

5. Be able to match the soloists style and phrasing.

6. Be a team player, instead of the “star”.

Teaching Your Piano Students How To Accompany

What were your first encounters with ensemble playing? How did they influence your subsequent development as a musician?

For an integrated website/studio management system useful for both your teaching and collaborative needs, take a look at Music Teacher's Helper.