About this role
POSITION : Percussion Accompanist (Dance)
STATUS : Part-time, Hourly, As Needed
DEPARTMENT : Conservatory of Performing Arts (COPA)
REPORTS TO : Accompanist Supervisor
PRIMARY FUNCTION : Responsible for providing drum/percussion accompaniment for studio/class dance work.
REQUIREMENTS : Excellence in percussion performance, live dance accompaniment, and improvisation. Knowledge of Modern and West African dance repertoire. Organizational skills appropriate to the variances of university course time scheduling.
DUTIES :
- Provide live, improvised percussion accompaniment that supports dance students and responds to the needs of the class.
- Select and perform appropriate musical material with accuracy and responsiveness, maintaining appropriate meter, tempo, phrasing, dynamics, rhythm, and musical structure.
- Clearly support the structure of dance exercises by emphasizing rhythms, phrases, counts, transitions, and exercise lengths, and providing effective cues for dancers during traveling exercises.
- Accompany Modern and West African dance classes , providing music appropriate to the specific technique and instructional goals, including Graham and Horton exercises.
- Develop and maintain a broad dance-accompaniment vocabulary through observation of other accompanists, collaboration with instructors, and exploration of diverse musical traditions and resources.
- Collaborate with faculty and staff and adapt to changing instructional and scheduling needs , while performing other related duties as assigned.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS : Must have percussive skills able to withstand several hours of accompanying per day.