Percussion Accompanist (Part-time)

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.