how to find a musician to play your class
by asimplesound
"brothers, sisters........come together." - bill hicks
if your "sub" list is tapped or dance musicians in your town are few and far between, it might be time to find a musician and introduce him to dance. playing for dance class is a great job. in most cases, you are getting paid to play or improvise music in a dynamic situation. playing class often leads to compositional opportunities and a whole network of creative artists. here are some ways to find new musicians and introduce them to playing class....
modern
one of the first places to start looking would be a university music program. when i was a student, i jumped at the opportunity to quit my job in the dining hall and play for class. most classical percussionists studying at a university will be multi-instrumentalists and have possibly already played the music of composers that have worked with dance, like john cage or steve reich. 
the jazz pianists and drummers are constantly looking for new ways to improvise within different forms and styles. there is a person in the music department's office that handles requests for musicians. have them post what class times you are looking for and a good class for people to come observe. the hardest part of playing class, for a musician new to accompanying dance, is seeing movement and knowing the best music to play right away. this skill develops after playing many styles of technique class, so you might want to offer some time before the class to go over how things work. tell the musician the overall arch of your class and what qualities of sound go with different combinations. let them know how you will begin and end an exercise and about how long each might be. a musician becomes more comfortable with playing class once they know what is going on, the more you help the quicker that will happen.
ballet
if you are looking for a musician that will play repertoire, classical pianists and
musical accompanists will know or read the music played in most ballet classes. if your are looking for new or improvised music for your class, try contacting some jazz pianists. again, university music programs are a great resource of musicians looking for work and new musical situations. local piano teachers are usually listed in the yellow pages and may also be up for playing repertoire. with all pianists new to ballet, explain what "preparation" you use to start combinations and what accents are important for the phrasing. if the pianist is not improvising, let them know what music or composers you work with, if possible, before they come to play class.
posting signs in music stores and on other message boards will probably introduce you to a wider range of musicians. if you go to see live music, talk with the musicians playing. working musicians are always looking for steady daytime work. if you know that your current musician is going to be leaving soon, try to get the new accompanist to observe a class before that musician leaves. invite the new accompanist to watch a class, even if you are using recorded music. this will speak volumes to the musician facing a class for the first time.
the jazz pianists and drummers are constantly looking for new ways to improvise within different forms and styles. there is a person in the music department's office that handles requests for musicians. have them post what class times you are looking for and a good class for people to come observe. the hardest part of playing class, for a musician new to accompanying dance, is seeing movement and knowing the best music to play right away. this skill develops after playing many styles of technique class, so you might want to offer some time before the class to go over how things work. tell the musician the overall arch of your class and what qualities of sound go with different combinations. let them know how you will begin and end an exercise and about how long each might be. a musician becomes more comfortable with playing class once they know what is going on, the more you help the quicker that will happen.ballet
if you are looking for a musician that will play repertoire, classical pianists and
musical accompanists will know or read the music played in most ballet classes. if your are looking for new or improvised music for your class, try contacting some jazz pianists. again, university music programs are a great resource of musicians looking for work and new musical situations. local piano teachers are usually listed in the yellow pages and may also be up for playing repertoire. with all pianists new to ballet, explain what "preparation" you use to start combinations and what accents are important for the phrasing. if the pianist is not improvising, let them know what music or composers you work with, if possible, before they come to play class.posting signs in music stores and on other message boards will probably introduce you to a wider range of musicians. if you go to see live music, talk with the musicians playing. working musicians are always looking for steady daytime work. if you know that your current musician is going to be leaving soon, try to get the new accompanist to observe a class before that musician leaves. invite the new accompanist to watch a class, even if you are using recorded music. this will speak volumes to the musician facing a class for the first time.
you can ask us questions and post ideas about finding new accompanists here
