Church Accompanist on piano

[love_that_tune]

I started in September working at a church as accompanist.  Would any of you please tell me how much in advance to expect the music for a choir concert.  This choir director will not give me anything before rehearsals and everything I play I'm sight-reading.  I'm good at sight reading but she is not and last night we came to blows.  This church hired me to improve their music program, but this woman is driving me nuts.

[timothy42b]

That's a disorganized choir director, and it's just as hard on the choir as on you.  You should have all the music for Advent by now and the Christmas music should have been selected.

When I played for a church I demanded the selections by Tuesday for a Sunday performance.  Of course that didn't always happen but it was a useful starting point.  When the pastor let me pick the hymns I did them three months at a time. 

You're in a classic battle, and the only way I know out of it is for you to help select the music, that way it will happen on time.

[love_that_tune]

Thanks for replying.  Her response to my request for music in advance was, "Accompanists are supposed to sight read." 

It's always a tough one when someone thinks they know a lot and they don't. 

I do feel badly for the choir, because they're looking really bad.

Anyway, it helps to get a response so I don't feel quite so alone with this.  This church hired me because they want to build the music program and hire other instruments and such.  Frankly they are so not ready to bring anyone else in.

Thanks

[landru]

Shouldn't the singers and she be as proficient at sight reading as you? They only have one note to sing at a time, how hard could that be :=).

But seriously, ask her why they have rehearsals for the choir? So that they know what they are singing in the performance, they aren't sightreading at the time of the concert. Then tell her that being a rehearsal accompanist is a performance to you, and even a few days of the score beforehand will benefit the rehearsal for everyone.

But I think you are dealing with a little Hitler and is not much interested in changing her ways. Whoever hired you is the one to talk to about this, since you've already come to blows!

[timothy42b]

I'm not good at sightreading on piano, for an obvious reason. 

I'm very very good sightsinging and on brass.  But I consider it unprofessional ever to sightread even in rehearsal.  I take the time to prepare the music whether  I would need to or not.  That's just part of the work ethic a musican must have. 

Obviously this choir director does not have that professional work ethic, or she wouldn't be sightreading in rehearsal.