Accompanist

Passionate about music and its power to inspire movement? This position with the School of Dance offers the opportunity to support dance education and performance through live musical accompaniment. The School of Dance provides live musical support for technique classes, rehearsals, and productions. A successful incumbent will blend music with physical movement, requiring both advanced piano performance and spontaneous improvisation. School of Dance accompanists play for both general education and dance major modern, ballet, and other classes.

As a member of the School of Dance, you will contribute to a vibrant and collaborative arts community where music and movement come together to enrich the educational and performance experience. Your talent and creativity will help support the next generation of dancers and artists.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

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• Provides piano accompaniment for ballet classes.
• Provides piano and percussion accompaniment for modern dance classes.
• Working closely with dance faculty/instructor to understand the desired musical energy and interpretive goals.
• Provide musical support and accompaniment during rehearsals, performances, or recordings.
• Accompany special classes, auditions, and master classes outside of the regular work week, on occasion.
• Substitute for classes as needed and attend meetings called by the Music Director for Dance.
• Collaborate effectively with students, staff, and faculty to support the academic and artistic mission of the department.
• Continue to expand their repertoire for dance classes; proactively research, learn, and adapt new musical scores and genres to maintain an engaging, dynamic, and non-repetitive auditory environment for daily dance classes.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):

• Demonstrated ability to sight-read and quickly adapt diverse musical genres.
• Strong ear-training skills with the ability to transpose or rearrange music on the fly.
• Knowledge of, or willingness to learn, how various musical structures align with ballet, modern, and jazz pedagogy.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with a history of successful collaboration alongside faculty instructors, guest artists, and student choreographers.
• Ability to match tempo, emotional dynamics, and physical phrasing simply by watching the movement of dancers.

This job posting reflects the general nature and level of work expected of the selected candidate(s). It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. The institution reserves the right to amend or update this description as organizational priorities and institutional needs evolve.

• High school diploma or high school diploma equivalency is required.
• Minimum of 3 years of relevant experience, or equivalent combination of education and work experience.

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Collaborative Piano, Piano Performance, Music Theory, Percussion, or an equivalent field.
• Two or more years of experience playing live accompaniment for professional dance companies, elite pre-professional academies, or university-level dance departments.
• Experience accompanying a wide breadth of dance genres, specifically classical ballet, jazz, and contemporary/modern techniques.