Article Repost: Holding the banner high . . .

Holding the banner high ... and passing it on: Margo Garrett, professional accompanist. written by Jody Graves


My favorite quote is when Margo Garrett addresses the importance of educating pianists to have multiple skill sets: 

" . . . it is more precarious than ever to venture into the artistic life as a livelihood, let alone a career. I really try to get them to . . .  prepare for vocal and instrumental repertory, opera, oratorio and some organ or harpsichord and fortepiano. I want them to be as broadly educated as possible because we never know where our opportunities are going to arise. The student who thinks he/she is going to spend their life teaching chamber music and perform with their own trio, may in fact get an opportunity from an opera house, and if they don't have the skills to respond in a variety of ways the career becomes limited. I am an advocate for broadly based education because it increases the likelihood of success"

Yes.  and Yes.

Sunday Help

In the last few years, I've found certain websites, programs and books to be invaluable to what I do on Sunday mornings.  These are a few ideas on what to think about for doing this job, and also the websites that I've found the most helpful: 

Written-out music
The sheet music I receive can run the gamut of chord charts and lead sheets, to actual written-out music.  Some examples from yesterday's service: chord chart - lead sheet.  If I want something with more notes, I've found PraiseCharts.com to be a great resource for Contemporary Christian songs. Every church adjusts the music as needed, so expect to cut and paste, repeat, or transpose as the singer or congregation requires.  If PraiseCharts doesn't have it, often MusicNotes.com does. 

Writing-out music
If all else fails, you can create your own music: the notation programs currently used a lot are Finale and Sibelius.  Its just a really handy skill to have, also, so I suggest learning at least one of them.  

Listening/researching music 
Often the written out music in the hymnal is four-part harmony, and doesn't function well as an accompaniment.  Sometimes I research a hymn to see if I can find a style I like better than my version.  Some hymns are often swung or etc, and it isn't indicated on the music.  Between Youtube.com, itunes and Amazon mp3's, I'm usually able to find what I'm looking for.  With current stuff, you really have to listen to it just to get the sound and feel right (there's not much to go on in a chart).

Matching music to text
Part of the job of the church pianist is to help make the service flow as a unified whole.  One way to do this is by choosing music that reinforces the day's scripture reading (You can look it up in the Online Bible) or the day's sermon.  I've tried looking online for either a 'scripture index to hymns', or a 'topical index to hymns' for ideas of which music to choose - but haven't had much luck (at least on the free sites).  It's best just to stick with your church's hymnal, which should have some kind of index that will help. 

Prelude/postlude solo piano music:
Mark Hayes stuff is pretty standard
Fred Bock is simple, yet pleasing (The arrangements that I like, such as On Eagles Wings, Here I am, Lord, Hymn of Promise, etc are all in this book)
Anything classical is typically fair game, especially literature everyone has heard at one point in their lives (Claire de Lune, anything by Bach, etc)
If you have a singer, art song can be used as well. Try: 
Aaron Copeland's Zion's Walls, At the River and Simple Gifts
Lee Hoiby's The Lamb and The Shepherd 



 

How Far We've Come . . .

'Collaborative piano' is a field that has made huge strides in the last 20 years. It's become so acknowledged that I tend to blink when I find articles from the past like Concert Notes: Rehearsal Pianist Steps Out (written in 1990). It's an interview of Judith Jackson, a principal pianist for Chicago Opera Theatre, and has comments like:

"Jackson is not one to apologize for her chosen field. "I know a lot of pianists who think accompanying and operatic work are boring and limiting, in terms of their own creativity. But I find it very challenging--and I really love it!...."

"Jackson is an accompanist, and proud of it."

Then there's Gerald Moore's book, "The Unashamed Accompanist".


I'd like to suggest yet another title: "The Employed Pianist".

Careers for Pianists, Part III: Oh, the Places You Can Go!

A previous blog named professional performing to be the 'least likely career path' - a hard fact facing the majority of classically trained pianists. Similar to the soprano and guitarist glut, the ratio of excellent pianists to performance opportunities is unfortunately lopsided. So those hell-bent on performing have to to think outside the box to get onstage. Here are several classical musicians who have come up with unique approaches to carving out their own opportunities.

Shaking up the Dead Composers (and a Few Live Ones)
Pianist Sarah Rothenberg, artistic director of Da Camera, has a series of chamber music and solo piano programs on fascinating subjects like the romantic spirit shared by Baudelaire and Chopin or the history and culture of St Petersburg. The Post-Classical Ensemble performs both new and old music, incorporating folk song, dance, film or commentary into their performances. Their recent festival, 'Interpreting Liszt' included an illustrated piano concert featuring Liszt piano solos, Petrarch and Dante poetry and art by Raphael and Michelangelo. The Ensemble for the Romantic Century, formed by pianist Eve Wolf, shows incredible creativity in its approach to giving chamber music concerts. Their website says it all, so I suggest perusing their archive of past programs.

Pour into a Mixer, Hit Blend
A lot of classical musicians have found a niche as contemporary music chamber artists. Excellent chamber groups like eighth blackbird, NOW Ensemble, Opus 21, Ahn Trio and Alarm Will Sound are of a new breed, skipping formalities, embracing theatricality and spontaneity. They avoid anything elitist or formal, intent on keeping an audience comfortable and entertained. Further oddities - chamber music tossed into bars, clubs and galleries by groups like the Chiara String Quartet, who perform modern and classical 'chamber music in any chamber'. One of their present projects: performing "Beethoven in Bars" in clubs across the country, featuring Beethoven quartets as well as new works. The Firebird ensemble performs regularly at a BBQ joint, and show a remarkable flexibility in their performance repertoire, including new composers, Schoenberg, jazz, Metallica and Jimi Hendrix. The Bang on a Can All-Stars embrace pop and jazz as well as modern classical - they have collaborated with artists like Steve Reich, Philip Glass and Sonic Youth. All of these groups regularly commission and premiere compositions, undertake residencies at Universities and perform programs of astounding eclecticism.

Unconventional, yet extraordinary
Taking the multiculturalism angle is the Silk Road Ensemble, presenting multimedia projects influenced by cultures from around the globe, and also including contemporary composers. They undertake residencies at Museums and Universities, hold workshops for students and teachers and hold cultural exchanges with musicians in areas like Baki, Azerbaijan. The eclectic group Time for Three - a self-described "classically trained garage band", is a violin-violin-bass trio that fuses bluegrass, classical, jazz and rock. And finally, check out classically trained players who have formed an electric cello band, Cello Chix, playing classic rock repertoire in bars (listen to them play Stevie Wonder on their website). Then there are the musicians who have jumped humanities' fence and joined the scientist's playground. They've combined classical or jazz repertoire with the sciences, taking their performance to the classroom, museum and concert hall.

Interdisciplinary, yet Extramusical
Biosphere 2 Institute fuses science with art and music with an Artist-In-Residence program. Present artist-pianist Simone Michado collaborates with ecologist Scott Saleska to present "Survival of the Sphere", a program about the Amazon rain forest that uses narrative, photography and Brazilian music. Further use of science as a springboard to perform: complement a solar energy event with music performed on solar-powered electric instruments. Performing at both Biosphere 2's Earth Day Festival and the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon, musicians Dr. Paula Fan on keyboards, Garrick Woods on cello and Michael Fan on violin (and composer) presented a "A Bright New World or Dr. Solera and the Fossil Fools", an educational musical 'solar fable' about the importance of solar energy. They also enlisted a jazz keyboardist to play thematically relevant tunes (Blue Skies, Here's that Rainy Day, etc) in between sets. Another successful venture is the ingenious alliance of scientist Harold Varmus and a jazz quintet, creating "Genes and Jazz" - a presentation relating the evolutions of the musical art form to genetic mutations, enhanced with computer imagery by Drew Barry. And finally, an interesting (but piano-free) music and science joint effort, Perpetual Motion: Revolutions in 17th Century. The performance combines period music sung by Galileo's Daughters and film with narratives on scientific and musical discoveries made in the 17th century.

Unprepared for Prepared Piano (or Shall we Juggle, as well?)
Performing avant-garde contemporary music, giving lecture recitals, dressing up music with eyecandy visuals or dragging a quartet into a bar may strike you as gimmicky. And you're probably right. But practically speaking - hey, they're employed. They are utilizing their years of training, engaging and retaining audiences, and performing repertoire that highlights their strengths. They've carved out their opportunities with talent, willpower, creativity and, of course, luck. So what do you think is your niche?

Next up: Careers for Pianists, Part IV: Living the Dream and Supporting it

Bonus info: more classically trained musicians, thinking in the present: Great Noise Ensemble, Kronos Quartet, VERGE Ensemble, ECCO, Matt Haimovitz, Maya Beiser and Christopher O'Riley, newEAR contemporary chamber ensemble, Ljova, Prism Quartet, Ethel

Dear 1999 . . .

This is my response to a Musicianwages.com group blogging event, written on the topic "If you could go back to 1999 and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?"

Dear 1999 self,

Right now you are 2.5 years into your undergrad collaborative piano program, and the skills you are gaining will mainly be useful for employment in academic circles. 'Great', you say, 'I want to stay in academia'. True for now, but in a few years you will realize that you have no interest in teaching, which in turn makes a professor position undesired, and a doctorate unnecessary. You will also realize that living in Nowhere, USA is the only way for you to occupy a full-time (yet untenured) Staff Accompanist position. Short answer to the above: no.

Now that I've wiped out your present career plans, here's the good news: opera, vocal and instrumental repertoire are only one aspect of an enormous range of possibilities in collaborative piano. Your future work ideal will be variety: variety in workplaces, in collaborative partners and in repertoire - so do yourself a favor and switch back to piano performance (or to the B of Arts track, if necessary). Continue to develop your solo classical chops, and also continue to work with classical singers and instrumentalists, but spend the rest of your time looking into these areas:

• Go to the dance department: they have excellent pianists you can observe (study with them if you can) in the area of providing accompaniment for ballet and modern dance classes
• Go to the musical theatre department: offer to be a substitute pianist for rehearsals, offer to turn pages for the audition pianists, learn the standard repertoire, listen to CDs of shows - get involved
• Look into Community theater: offer to be a substitute pianist for rehearsals, for shows, etc - learn by doing
• Sit in on vocal coachings of all kinds, write down their tricks, their warmups, try them out yourself
• Learn Finale (or equivalent programs of the time) and transcribe things - look into arranging if possible
• Study improvisation and/or jazz - get to where reading a chart is a simple exercise
• Take voice lessons - singers will make a lot more sense when you do
• Practice jazz scales in addition to your other warm-ups - it will set you up for the future in several ways (learning contemporary music, studying jazz in-depth, etc)
• Finagle as much private study as possible with people who do things you wish you could do (look inside and outside the university)
• Look for opportunities to perform, anywhere and everywhere
  

Doing any of this will expand the venues you (we) can work in the future, and will be more satisfying for you in the short run as well. Last tidbit - for gradschools, focus on teachers and performance opportunities within the school over the actual names of schools.

Sincerely,
Me

Careers for Pianists, Part I: Expectations and Beginnings

So you want a career in piano . . .

Bugs Bunny Had a Candelabra and a Tux

Common portrayals of classical pianists' careers are pretty lofty, usually including concerts, recordings, masterclasses and elite teaching studios. Orchestras, singers, or cleverly named trios may also be shown. The superior images are so ingrained that some pianists aren't even aware of career options beyond being a concert artist and pedagogue. It shouldn't be a huge secret that the countless hours of Czerny, scales and Beethoven hones practical keyboard skills that transfer nicely into several other music careers. The snag: the skill sets required in diverse environments are left out of many music curriculums. Too often, piano performance majors graduate with virtuosic skill, but are virtually clueless of how to be useful in different venues. So what environments ARE they ready to work in?

Adjunct, Instructor, Staff . . .

Hands down, staying in academia is the simplest way to go for all piano performance graduates. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of secure, full-time positions available. Even with a doctorate in hand, it is startlingly difficult to land a university gig that exceeds the part-time or adjunct level. Here is some info about the present academic job market for pianists. The College Music Society posted 43 jobs between Aug 2008 to the present (discounting positions outside the US, sabbatical replacements and temporary positions).

• Of the 43 jobs, 31 are tenure track (TT)
• Of the 31 TT jobs, 24 indicated a doctorate was preferred or required
• Of the 43 jobs, 6 are repeated ads from the previous year
• Of the 43 jobs, 5 are for Staff Accompanists (none TT)

A warning on the above information: high turnover rates (repeat ads) may indicate a poisonous position (back-breaking workload, suffocating location, or snake-pit politics). For those encouraged to see the five accompanist positions, consider their locations: Clarksville, TN; Arkadelphia, AR; Nacogdoches and San Angelo, TX and Lake Charles, Louisiana. Previously, in 2007-2008 there were 80 pianist positions posted. I didn't crunch the statistics, but I did count the number of accompanist positions posted: twelve. Several other jobs were listed that held 'collaborative' in the title, but I discounted those as essentially veiled piano teaching jobs saddled with additional accompanying duties. The accompanist jobs' diverse locales: Carbondale, IL; Oxford, MS; Mt Pleasant, MI; Knoxville, TN; Conway, AR; Rome, GA; Los Angeles, CA; Kirksville, MO; Wayne, NE; Moscow, ID and Macomb, IL.

It Don't Mean a Thing if it Ain't in Academia

For some, academia means more than an easy transition: it is an idealized sanctuary of civilization. Spending many years in that environment has deluded some to believe that life outside of academe means failure. An article, Is Grad School a Cult?, talks about the ivory tower seduction of such students, who become convinced a university is the only 'real' option for meaningful employment. When the realistic likelihood of landing a full-time position in a good location with job security (tenure track) is the equivalent of winning the lottery* - it is time to change faiths. Believe that meaningful jobs exist outside academia.

Freelance Nation

Some academics are focusing on preparing pianists for employment beyond teaching. The authors of the article, Keyboard Collaborative Careers, are definitely on the right track, discussing useful piano skills that get you work. Further net-crawling for practical information revealed this article on music employment, Refocusing (Musical Entrepreneurship), written by a freelance bass player/professor. It calls attention to the ever-growing reality of many classical musicians: full-time work assembled from divergent part-time jobs. This is golden information: pianists who curl their lip concerning that brand of lifestyle need to find another major. Pianists who embrace the kaleidoscopic lifestyle need to investigate the skill sets more relevant to today's employment landscape.

Next Up: Careers for Pianists, Part II: Practically Educational

*paraphrased Graduate School in the Humanities quote