Working as a freelance accompanist and independent contractor often means looking for work. While we would all like to receive the word of mouth gigs that show up because people know us and like what we do, the fact remains that there are times when we need to market ourselves and find our own work. Here are four ideas of where to find accompanying gigs, and what you need to do in order to land them!
1. Narrow down exactly what you want to do!
There are so many options available to collaborative pianists:
- Vocal accompanying
- Instrumental accompanying
- Playing for church services
- Weddings
- Working in musical theater in the pit band, as a rehearsal accompanist, or as a musical director
- Playing for school choirs
- Playing for a ballet company
- Play on a cruise ship
- Play for local student festivals like solo and ensemble
- Record accompaniment tracks or play for auditions
- Play for your local opera company
2. Let people know you’re looking for work.
Start with friends and family – let them know you are available to play for [fill in the blank]. Go to the places and individuals you’d like to play for and let them know you’re in town and available for hire. If you can, get in front of people and play for them. Offering your services as a sub can get your foot in the door and serve as a sort of on-the-job interview!
Connect with local musicians. Start with a local Facebook group and look for musicians’ meet-ups. Or ask someone to coffee. Get to know who works in the area and ask them to help spread the word that you’re looking for work.
Email choir teachers at local schools. Find out if they need an accompanist for choirs, musicals, or their annual solo and ensemble festival.
3. Look online
Join your local Facebook groups. In the last several years, many local musicians groups have showed up online. Start looking for location-specific groups of piano teachers, accompanists, pianists, and musicians. Some cities even have groups that function as job boards, where you can find gigs. Introduce yourself to the group, check in often, and take advantage of opportunities to get in front of people and play.
4. Advertise online
Pianoaccompanists.com offers a free listing of your contact info and can be a good first online presence for jobs. You can also set up a simple webpage with your name, a short bio, and contact information. When people reach out to you, be quick to respond (within 24 hours) and clear about whether you are or are not interested/available for the gig. Think of every contact as a networking opportunity and make a good first impression. Even if you aren’t available or don’t end up getting a gig, people will remember how you treated them and if you were prompt and polite with your communication. Maybe you’ll get a future call back!
The jobs are out there, and once you make a few connections, things seem to start happening. It will take time to get “known,” but once you have a solid regular gig, whether with a school, church, music studio, or community organization, more work will come your way!
Keep up with my writing by subscribing to At Home with Classical Piano on Substack.