Greetings to all of my Music World out there!
This post is about the preferred etiquette for piano accompanists from soloists who hire them for accompaniment purposes. Of course, this is all from my point of view, but being that I've had over ten years of experience in accompanying at universities, churches, weddings, dinner gigs, etc., and after listening to loads of complaints from both accompanists and solo musicians alike, I thought it would be a good idea to at least get some of these issues aired out. So here goes!
First and foremost, it is preferred to contact your accompanist at least TWO WEEKS before your event. It also is very helpful to have the music on hand or nearby so that the accompanist can take a peek at it and decide if they are comfortable with the time allotted to learn it based on the difficulty level of the assignment. If you are contacting the accompanist by email to potentially hire them, be sure to ask for their rates at the beginning. A collegiate accompanist will charge anywhere from $20-25/reh and performance to $35/service. A grad student will charge on the higher end, and a professional (post-grad) accompanist will charge anywhere from $40-50/hr. If you are a freshman/sophomore playing on area for your first time, you probably want to look for someone in your class year or an undergrad to help you out-they will be cheaper! On the contrary, if you have a beast of a piece and need someone with more experience and professionalism who can learn the part in a shorter amount of time, you will sometimes have to dish out more dough for their services.
Once the accompanist has agreed to take on the assignment, immediately make arrangements for rehearsals (and maybe hole-punch their photocopies, it's a nice touch!). Nothing is more unsettling than taking on a project and then not hearing from your soloist until two days before the event. Scheduling rehearsals allows the accompanist to manage their time in a more effective manner so that they will not wait until the last minute to practice your piece because it's the least important on their timeline of scheduled events. Most collaborative arrangments, in my experience, will need at least two rehearsals to ensure that the ensemble runs smoothly and both parties are comfortable with each other's parts. Most college professors or high school private teachers will require the student and accompanist to perform together in front of them for a coaching, upon which it is best if the ensemble has already rehearsed together at least once.
Upon the conclusion of the performance, provided you have had no problems or (legitimate) concerns with the professional manner of the accompanist or the demonstration of their performance skills, payment should be remitted without fail. As you knew the moment was coming where you would need to pay, there should be no sudden excuses about "I need to run to the ATM" or " I forgot my checkbook." If your parents are helping out with paying the accompanist, make sure they understand how important it is that they send you a check on time so that you can stay in good rapport with the accompanist; otherwise they may hesitate to accompany you ever again. It is very unwise to lose the professional faith of a good accompanist, because at a time when you really need them they will not give you the time of day. IF, like most performers, you are too giddy or overwhelmed after your performance to think straight, slip a check or cash into the accompanist's hand before you walk on stage. An accompanist should NEVER have to ask for their payment or hang around until the entire program is done because you ran back into the recital hall and forgot to pay them. I cannot stress this enough!
If you did have an issue with the accompanist (you gave them ample notice about all scheduled rehearsals, performances, submitted your music in the two week suggested time frame, etc.) and they were unprepared for the performance or made a lot of inexcusable mistakes, do not be afraid to let them know that you were not satisfied with the arrangements and either stress that you may not be recommending their services to others, or request a 20% discount on your tab. The accompanist will either be anxious to gain your approval back (in which case they may give you some of the rehearsals or ALL the service for free) or be too greedy to care about the impact their performance could have on the rest of their accompanying career to care. In the latter case, you may even tell their private teacher (I would be in HORROR if this behavior were emitted from a professional pianist) who will have a bigger impact on the pianist than you may. Then carry your business elsewhere.
As in all professions, it is not required to tip; but for outstanding service, we are usually happy to give a %10 tip to our hairstylist or server. I once received a $25 tip on a $75 tab, the soloist was so happy with my work. That is extreme, but I got the message that my work was GREATLY appreciated. And it will make the accompanist more inclined to work with you, maybe at a discounted price, for being an amenable customer.
As you can see, most of these suggestions are geared towards the collegiate soloist, but high school soloists can benefit from learning these tools early on; it will spread word of your musical professionalism, which is never a bad idea! I hope these tips are beneficial to, and appreciated by, all musical professionals.
Sincerely,
Monica
This post is about the preferred etiquette for piano accompanists from soloists who hire them for accompaniment purposes. Of course, this is all from my point of view, but being that I've had over ten years of experience in accompanying at universities, churches, weddings, dinner gigs, etc., and after listening to loads of complaints from both accompanists and solo musicians alike, I thought it would be a good idea to at least get some of these issues aired out. So here goes!
First and foremost, it is preferred to contact your accompanist at least TWO WEEKS before your event. It also is very helpful to have the music on hand or nearby so that the accompanist can take a peek at it and decide if they are comfortable with the time allotted to learn it based on the difficulty level of the assignment. If you are contacting the accompanist by email to potentially hire them, be sure to ask for their rates at the beginning. A collegiate accompanist will charge anywhere from $20-25/reh and performance to $35/service. A grad student will charge on the higher end, and a professional (post-grad) accompanist will charge anywhere from $40-50/hr. If you are a freshman/sophomore playing on area for your first time, you probably want to look for someone in your class year or an undergrad to help you out-they will be cheaper! On the contrary, if you have a beast of a piece and need someone with more experience and professionalism who can learn the part in a shorter amount of time, you will sometimes have to dish out more dough for their services.
Once the accompanist has agreed to take on the assignment, immediately make arrangements for rehearsals (and maybe hole-punch their photocopies, it's a nice touch!). Nothing is more unsettling than taking on a project and then not hearing from your soloist until two days before the event. Scheduling rehearsals allows the accompanist to manage their time in a more effective manner so that they will not wait until the last minute to practice your piece because it's the least important on their timeline of scheduled events. Most collaborative arrangments, in my experience, will need at least two rehearsals to ensure that the ensemble runs smoothly and both parties are comfortable with each other's parts. Most college professors or high school private teachers will require the student and accompanist to perform together in front of them for a coaching, upon which it is best if the ensemble has already rehearsed together at least once.
Upon the conclusion of the performance, provided you have had no problems or (legitimate) concerns with the professional manner of the accompanist or the demonstration of their performance skills, payment should be remitted without fail. As you knew the moment was coming where you would need to pay, there should be no sudden excuses about "I need to run to the ATM" or " I forgot my checkbook." If your parents are helping out with paying the accompanist, make sure they understand how important it is that they send you a check on time so that you can stay in good rapport with the accompanist; otherwise they may hesitate to accompany you ever again. It is very unwise to lose the professional faith of a good accompanist, because at a time when you really need them they will not give you the time of day. IF, like most performers, you are too giddy or overwhelmed after your performance to think straight, slip a check or cash into the accompanist's hand before you walk on stage. An accompanist should NEVER have to ask for their payment or hang around until the entire program is done because you ran back into the recital hall and forgot to pay them. I cannot stress this enough!
If you did have an issue with the accompanist (you gave them ample notice about all scheduled rehearsals, performances, submitted your music in the two week suggested time frame, etc.) and they were unprepared for the performance or made a lot of inexcusable mistakes, do not be afraid to let them know that you were not satisfied with the arrangements and either stress that you may not be recommending their services to others, or request a 20% discount on your tab. The accompanist will either be anxious to gain your approval back (in which case they may give you some of the rehearsals or ALL the service for free) or be too greedy to care about the impact their performance could have on the rest of their accompanying career to care. In the latter case, you may even tell their private teacher (I would be in HORROR if this behavior were emitted from a professional pianist) who will have a bigger impact on the pianist than you may. Then carry your business elsewhere.
As in all professions, it is not required to tip; but for outstanding service, we are usually happy to give a %10 tip to our hairstylist or server. I once received a $25 tip on a $75 tab, the soloist was so happy with my work. That is extreme, but I got the message that my work was GREATLY appreciated. And it will make the accompanist more inclined to work with you, maybe at a discounted price, for being an amenable customer.
As you can see, most of these suggestions are geared towards the collegiate soloist, but high school soloists can benefit from learning these tools early on; it will spread word of your musical professionalism, which is never a bad idea! I hope these tips are beneficial to, and appreciated by, all musical professionals.
Sincerely,
Monica
Great post! I definitely agree with the timeline and the importance of scheduling rehearsals. I think people try to save money by not having rehearsals, but that's the worst way to go about it. But I think that giving the option to soloists of lowering the price after the recital if they're not pleased with the accompanist is slippery slope. I know many soloists who are very happy to blame their accompanists when they themselves played poorly. Because let's face it, when you play for someone who is skipping beats constantly, or missing half the notes, no matter how well you play on the piano, you're playing is not gonna be great because you can't trust your partner. I also think that if someone gave a hard piece of music only two weeks in advance, and the accompanist doesn't play it up to their standard, that should teach them a lesson about the need to hire someone sooner and rehearse more. That's why I think it's crucial accompanists get paid before the recital (I personally ask for payment at the last dress rehearsal, although I wait until after the recital to cash it).
ReplyDeleteGeraldine
http://geraldineinabottle.blogspot.com
Thanks for your comments, Geraldine! Great thoughts :)
ReplyDelete