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:

1. Provide live, improvised percussion accompaniment that supports dance students and responds to the needs of the class.
2. Select and perform appropriate musical material with accuracy and responsiveness, maintaining appropriate meter, tempo, phrasing, dynamics, rhythm, and musical structure.
3. 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.
4. Accompany Modern and West African dance classes, providing music appropriate to the specific technique and instructional goals, including Graham and Horton exercises.
5. Develop and maintain a broad dance-accompaniment vocabulary through observation of other accompanists, collaboration with instructors, and exploration of diverse musical traditions and resources.
6. 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.