Music minus none

Get in, losers*, we’re going to support our pianists

*gentle readers, I am not calling you losers. I am referencing Mean Girls, which is a movie about hierarchy and friendship, like this short lil essay.

I just submitted an article for publication. Assuming everything goes forward, this will be the first time I get paid for writing something other than an opera libretto, translation, or adaptation, and that feels big. The subject of the piece is very close to my heart, and the best thing about it was the opportunity to interview a brilliant, caring group of colleagues. Their words and ideas are the article. I can hardly wait to share what we made.

The subject is collaborative piano in the academy. I could have easily written five times as much as I did! The final version a relatively quick overview of the profession’s many major issues and challenges. If you know any collaborative pianists, you can imagine some of the topics. Problems with workload, compensation, and status? Check.

But this morning, I want to tell you the most important thing I learned through this process: people are trying to make things better. I already knew that pianists were trying: from the collab’s group on Facebook to groups like ICKAS and CPI, pianists are deeply engaged in trading information and support. But the story emerging through these interviews for this article, as well as through interviews I’m doing with Chanda Vanderhart for our upcoming book chapter, is that pianists can’t move the needle much on their own.

We need YOU. Singers, instrumentalists, all of our studio teacher colleagues, and administrators. All y’all. When these groups come together and find ways to speak one another’s language, improvements for pianists happen. Some are small, maybe just enough to make a hard job a little better, and some are big, like benefits and boundaries. But it’s clear as day to me that we can only move, well, collaboratively.

And, we need to.

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In that spirit, I have an idea.

Let’s pick a day in the coming semester. How about September 18? This can be “Music Minus None” Day, which is a super dorky reference to the old “music minus one” recordings (like Appcompanist but a hundred years ago). On this day, schools and individuals can take a variety of actions to highlight the work of their collaborative pianists, honoring those indispensable people.

Actions could include (on or off social media) -

- having your lesson, choir rehearsal, theater rehearsal, or scheduled coaching without your pianist. Let that hero/ine stay home, and tell the story of what their absence means.

- highlighting the pianist’s contribution within your normal lesson, coaching, or rehearsal.

- doing something creative, special, or just plain nice for your pianist.

- advocating individually or as a group with your institution for equitable pay, hours, and workload for the pianists you know.

What do you think, allies? Can we make fetch happen?

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It’s not gonna be a secret when the article drops. Watch this space.

In the meantime, acknowledgements to all the collabs, coaches, and accompanists out there. You are the wind beneath everybody’s wings, and you deserve more.