Firstly, students have the opportunity to play alongside their teacher, modelling good practice in rhythm, breath and phrase. Piano duets are an excellent way to get students excited about collaborating. There is nothing I love more than setting students the task of immersing themselves in an early Beethoven trio, and systemically working through all the astonishing learning opportunities it presents, ranging from articulation, phrasing, rhetoric, structure, to the proper assimilation of harmonic knowledge, to extra-musical considerations like group dynamics.вЂќ Dr Anna Goldsworthy, Seraphim Trio & Senior Lecturer in Classical Ensemble at Elder Conservatorium of Music, Adelaide. вЂњChamber music is an example of group problem-solving at its best. By devising a program that appeals to studentsвЂ™ varied interests, you will challenge and direct the ensemblesвЂ™ learning and encourage collegiality. Repertoire should be relevant to the student. This is not to suggest that the repertoire should only include covers of popular music quite the opposite. It has been said that вЂchamber music is the classical version of a garage bandвЂ™, and if we are to make this ring true, the repertoire and performance opportunities must be relevant and appeal to the student musicians. Establishing clear communication and equal commitment allows each student to feel safe in their musical contributions and expectations of each other.

Teachers may develop this by asking students to outline their personal goals in the rehearsal room and in the practice studio, as well as their repertoire ambition and performance goals. When mentoring an ensemble, sharing a clear sense of purpose and goal setting is essential. The greatest indicator of success for an ensemble is psychological safety, that is, an equal understanding of commitment and responsibility to each other. However, the opportunity to share these skills in an ensemble as a pianist are less apparent than for other instruments. The fundamental skills are taught in so many of our lessons through solo repertoire and activity, including sight reading and visual literacies, aural skills, and technical proficiency at the keyboard. Teaching students the necessary skills for collaborating with peers and fellow musicians is some of our most exciting work. How does it look in the studio practice room? In other words, I am a collaborative pianist.вЂќ Dr Jeanell Carrigan, Associate Professor in Collaborative Piano at Sydney Conservatorium of Music. I am proud that I am a pianist вЂ“ one who spends a great deal of time in collaboration with other musicians. The role is one of collaboration, not merely accompanying, and I feel the use of a terminology that aptly describes the role is beneficial in raising the profile, giving more credibility and raising the standard of performance to the discipline. Upon reflection, the term encompasses far more the true engagement undertaken by pianists who choose to work primarily with instrumentalists or singers. At first, when hearing it spoken by an American musician, I felt an aversion, which was quite misplaced.

вЂњThe term collaborative piano is an Americanism that is gradually becoming acceptable in Australia. With online literature such as the Collaborative Piano Blog and Chamber Music Journal, a greater awareness of this trend, with pianists taking bows at equal points with associate artists and a change in name, is becoming of greater importance. In more recent years, much work has been done to shift the language away from вЂaccompanistвЂ™ to include terms such as вЂassociate artistвЂ™, or the use of вЂcollaborative pianistвЂ™ or even вЂpianistвЂ™, and to establish a new etiquette to include the pianist as part of the ensemble. Notable pianists such as Gerald Moore went on to create literature that outlined the trade-specific skills required of an accompanist. Last century, much work was committed to illustrating the accompanist as a pianist with specific skill and integrity to both the music and the partner musician. In other words, pianists have worked to perform as soloists or, in its ugliest term perhaps, the hired help. The traditional role of the pianist over time has developed to be either in the absolute foreground or in the shadows of the background. The repertoire is broad and the skills required to execute it are varied and often specific to the specialisation of the instrumentalists. Diversifying our piano students beyond the solo concert pianistД¬hamber Music is the most intimate form of musical collaboration.

Accompanist vs collaborative pianist