Versatility at the Piano

A pianist's post-college life is richly diverse and multi-faceted due to the wide array of possible career options. During one’s professional life, a pianist could be called upon to perform as soloist, chamber musician, duo partner, choral accompanist, or orchestral pianist, along with several other types of collaborative positions. In order for young professionals to meet the demands of a highly competitive job market, they must develop a flexible set of skills that will open an assortment of career paths. Because the job description for pianists has evolved over the past several hundred years, it is essential that undergraduate programs provide an education that leads to the development of a comprehensive pianist trained for both solo and collaborative performance settings. The purpose of this study was to contribute to the body of research in the area of collaborative piano pedagogy, specifically concerning the development of piano accompanists at the undergraduate level. The primary component of the project consisted of the researcher designing a grading system for developmental collaborative piano repertoire and organizing vocal works with piano accompaniment into a developmental collaborative piano curriculum for use at the undergraduate level. Based on the characteristics of each selection, the pieces were placed at the appropriate difficulty level using the criteria of the grading rubric. The secondary element of this study was to provide a compendium of developmental collaborative repertoire with detailed annotations that described the musical, technical, and ensemble challenges, as well as pedagogical reasoning for inclusion in the curriculum. It was the investigator’s intent that this resource serve as an instructional guide and practical resource manual for young accompanists or teachers of collaborative and ensemble skills. To evaluate the effectiveness of the developmental collaborative piano curriculum, the researcher employed the use of outside graders (N = 5) from major universities across the United States. Reviewers assessed the technical, musical, and ensemble requirements for each difficulty level of the grading rubric, as well as the selected repertoire, difficulty grade given to each piece, and the order of the music in the curriculum. The experts had the opportunity to express their opinions and give advice for the grading rubric and selected collaborative repertoire, as well as suggestions for pieces to be added or removed from the curriculum. Once all responses were collected from the reviewers, the researcher compared the information to choose the pieces, and help establish the appropriate grade level and placement in the overall curriculum for each collaborative work. The completed curriculum is made up of 4 levels that coincide with an undergraduate student’s 4 years of study. Each level contains 60 pieces that are graded and leveled using its technical, musical, and ensemble difficulties. This study provided valuable information on the effectiveness of the grading criteria designed to level the vocal pieces with piano accompaniment, as well as insight into the grading of developmental collaborative repertoire, selected pieces used to teach collaborative skills at varying levels of difficulty, appropriate order in which to introduce the collaborative skills, and proper sequencing for the pieces in the curriculum. The information gained added to the teaching practices and resources utilized for the preparation of undergraduate accompanists and presented a clear description of the skills introduced to piano majors during their undergraduate education. This project also contributed to the successful preparation of students as they enter the professional field and increased the understanding of the specialized skills that will benefit students in any musical endeavors they choose to pursue in the future.