Choosing a Piano Accompanist for Exams, Choirs and Bands

When you’re in charge of hiring a piano accompanist for your band, choir or exam student, you’ll need to keep in mind a few pointers for choosing him wisely. This post is designed to direct you how to go about choosing the right pianist for your needs.

Accompanist for Exams

You may be in need of a piano accompanist if you’ve exams coming up on your instrument. Generally, singers and monophonic instruments (flute, clarinet, oboe, trumpet, trombone, French horn, violin, viola, cello etc.) will be required to have a piano accompaniment for most exam boards such as Royal Irish Academy of Music or the Associated Boards of the Royal Schools of Music. This is because these solo instruments need context by which they can be marked on expression and collaboration with a backing instrument. It is best to find out if the school you receive lessons in has a piano teacher as they may be on hand to accompany. Another option is to ask the various music teachers or past students of the music school if they know someone that they can point you in the direction of. Your local secondary school may be able to help you if you’re stuck. If they have a music programme, the chances are good that they’ll have a pianist who helps out when it comes to annual Junior and Leaving Cert practicals. You’ll want to be sure that your pianist has experience accompanying exams. This can be found out through reputation and a website if they have one. It is a good idea to send the music to your pianist as early as you can in order to give him time to perfect it. Pianists normally have a busy schedule so it’s wise not to assume that they can learn the accompaniment overnight. Piano accompanists will probably have a set charge for their time and in the event that they do not, it is expected that you would offer them remuneration for their trouble.

Accompanist for Choirs

If you are a conductor who needs an accompanist for your choir, then you’ll need to invest in a good pianist who’ll dedicate themselves to practices and, subsequently, concerts. Having a good pianist for rehearsals can make a huge difference to the quality of your choir as it gives them added confidence. In an age where choirs are growing in size and diversity, entering competitions and gracing concert halls, you’ll find it to be of enormous benefit to throw a few shillings from the pot towards hiring a pianist. This obviously works better where choir members pay a membership fee. A good idea for testing out a pianist before you decide to commit to him is to give him the full planned repertoire during the summer months and to hear him after he has had a month or so to practice it. If you’re happy with his accompanying abilities, you can then sit down and work out an arrangement for the forthcoming year in terms of pay, time and duties.

Piano Player for a Band

If your band is in need of a piano player (or keyboard player, depending on how you style it), then you’ll need to take the following considerations into account when choosing a new member; Depending on how well or not you know the pianist on a personal level, many good pianists will only be willing to join a set-up that has a proven track record or some promise of work at the end of a string of rehearsals. Time is money and a pianist needs to make a living through wise use of his time. If you decide to audition a pianist for your group, make sure that he knows in advance what your business model and general music style are. You might decide to send him some clips of your band so that he can get a feel for your methodology and give his own best performance on the day of audition. From there, you can judge for yourself whether or not he is what you’re looking for.