Thank you for your writing -- it's been a pleasure to read.
I recently subbed for a rehearsal where the director and I had never met before. We were exchanging info about ourselves before the rehearsal. We were around the same age, I think, each with 30+ years of experience in musical endeavor. I mentioned that I had done an undergrad degree with a concentration in accompanying, and they immediately 'splained to me that the current term was "collaborative pianist." I responded evenly that I considered myself a pianist who coaches. But I felt, by turns, annoyed at someone my own age thinking they needed to tell me that -- come on, I keep up!; sad, that they felt the need at all; understanding that it smacked of CYA (cover your ass); nostalgic about reading Gerald Moore's "The Unashamed Accompanist" which set me on this path to begin with. And I have never been ashamed of my profession or the work that I do. For the times when I feel undervalued or unrecognized, I try to remain grateful that I've been able to earn a living as a freelance pianist. Frankly, it's hard as I get older and amass more skills and knowledge, but few are knocking at my door to learn what I have to offer. There are tens of thousands like me across the country, working hard and not getting any press. I mean, the high school senior I just saw win a local music association award has a bigger resume than I do! It can't stop me from forging onward through the fog...
Thank you for your writing -- it's been a pleasure to read.
I recently subbed for a rehearsal where the director and I had never met before. We were exchanging info about ourselves before the rehearsal. We were around the same age, I think, each with 30+ years of experience in musical endeavor. I mentioned that I had done an undergrad degree with a concentration in accompanying, and they immediately 'splained to me that the current term was "collaborative pianist." I responded evenly that I considered myself a pianist who coaches. But I felt, by turns, annoyed at someone my own age thinking they needed to tell me that -- come on, I keep up!; sad, that they felt the need at all; understanding that it smacked of CYA (cover your ass); nostalgic about reading Gerald Moore's "The Unashamed Accompanist" which set me on this path to begin with. And I have never been ashamed of my profession or the work that I do. For the times when I feel undervalued or unrecognized, I try to remain grateful that I've been able to earn a living as a freelance pianist. Frankly, it's hard as I get older and amass more skills and knowledge, but few are knocking at my door to learn what I have to offer. There are tens of thousands like me across the country, working hard and not getting any press. I mean, the high school senior I just saw win a local music association award has a bigger resume than I do! It can't stop me from forging onward through the fog...