Last Friday I had the privilege of hosting an online workshop on How to Read Open Score for choral accompanists. In addition to the 40-minute workshop, each participant received a 37-page student workbook which contained practical exercises for use during the class, as well as several charts to guide one's initial assessment of a score (Secrets to Open Score Reading, A Snapshot for Open Score, and Triage for Open Score), and several appendices of musical selections to work on after completion of the class. I am happy to report that the majority of those attending found the class to be “extremely valuable” and “extremely relevant” to their role as choral accompanists.
What fun it was to share strategies that I use at the piano to assist singers in learning their parts! Open Score reading does not have to be scary. My goal with the workshop was to show pianists how to look at a score, mark it, and prioritize what is most important to play.
It is a common misconception that being good at Open Score reading means one must play all the notes. This is simply not true. Singers need a solid rhythmic and harmonic foundation, and they need to be able to hear their parts voiced at different times in the music. A pianist needs to know what to prioritize so that he or she can lead the singers to hear what they need to hear in order to learn their parts well.
I hope that you, too, will find this to be extremely valuable in your pursuit to become more excellent at Open Score reading and supporting your choir in the best way possible!