Tips for Working with an Accompanist
Happy Sunday folks! Today I wanted to take some time to address the art of working with an accompanist. For the purposes of today’s blog, I am specifically speaking about audition settings (although most apply to any time you are working with an accompanist). Sometimes, if you do just the wrong thing, your audition will be over before it begins, so here are some fool-proof ways to avoid insulting your piano player!
DO NOT SNAP. Never snap your tempo at the accompanist - when they are sitting and you are standing next to them, it feels demeaning, like you’re snapping at a dog. Sing the beginning of your piece in the correct tempo, it will help them here the style/tempo and give you an extra chance to be noticed by the auditors.
Please don’t blame them if something goes wrong. Yes, sometimes people make mistakes, even accompanists playing auditions, but you never know, that person behind the piano may just be the music director or the producer’s daughter, accuse them of ruining your audition and there’s a good chance you will never get hired at that company. Besides, they are a human being too, whether or not it’s their fault, be kind. Keep in mind, they are sight-reading HUNDREDS of cuts, you are performing a piece you have (hopefully) worked on for weeks, cut them some slack!
Do NOT talk down to them. I would hope you never would speak down to anyone, but an accompanist can make or break your audition, be rude and they can really mess you up. Why take the chance? They don’t work for you, they are already booked a gig, be nice.
Make your cut clear. Don’t hand them a whole song and expect them to magically know your cut. Like I said, they are sight-reading HUNDREDS of songs in a day, make your cut as crystal clear as possible. I like to go above and beyond and copy my music so that the ONLY NOTES on the page, are ones I need played - this minimizes guess work on the part of the pianist and increases your chances of a good audition.
THANK THEM SINCERELY. They are working their fingers off and 99% of the time they truly want you to have the best audition you can. They are hard-working artists just like you, so be sure to thank them for their time and skills and MEAN IT. Even if they have nothing to do with the casting process, they already have a rapport with the people you just auditioned for and you never know what their future project may be, don’t burn a bridge!
The rule you can live by is simply be kind. Make it as easy on yourself and the accompanist as possible and do your best. There are different schools of thought on the minutiae of auditioning, but these tips will keep you looking professional and spreading smiles! Happy auditioning friends!