School of Music

Accompanists

Students enrolled in applied music lessons should discuss with their studio teachers the necessity of procuring an accompanist for the semester or year. Applied faculty members may strongly encourage students to arrange for an accompanist for some or all lessons during the semester. Students may request, from the School of Music, the services of one of the school’s staff accompanists. An accompanist fee will be charged to the requesting student’s university account.

Students may also make private arrangements to use a student accompanist or independent professional accompanist. All such arrangements are subject to the approval of the applied teacher. If the applied teacher finds that the accompanist’s work is not at an acceptable level, the student must make other arrangements.

Accompanist Fees

Accompanist Agreement Forms are available in the School of Music Office.  Fees for 2009-2010 are as follows:

•  $420.00 11-14 hours of total accompanying time at lessons and rehearsals (usually divided as 30 minutes of rehearsal per week, 30 minutes at the student’s lesson, and end of semester juries.)
• $360.00 7-10 hours of total accompanying time.
• $240.00 4-6 hours of total accompanying time.
• $120.00 2-3 hours of total accompanying time.

Accompanist Fees for Extra Events

• $100.00  Sophomore Proficiency Exam (includes up to 3 additional hours of rehearsal plus the performance.)
• $100.00 Concerto Competition (includes up to 3 additional hours of rehearsal plus performances in the preliminary and finalrounds of the competition. Winners of the final rounds of the Concerto Competition will perform their piece with DePauw University Orchestra on the DePauw Concerto Winners Concert held later in the spring semester.)
• $150.00 Junior recital (includes up to 3 additional hours of rehearsal plus the recital jury and the performance itself.)
• $200.00 Senior recital (includes up to 4 additional hours of rehearsal plus the recital jury and the performance itself.)

Accompanist Usage Policies

1. Each student must complete an Accompanist Agreement Form each semester and submit it to the SOM Office by the end of the second week of classes.  An accompanist will not play for lessons, rehearsals, and/or extra events unless the agreement, signed by the student, applied music professor, and accompanist has been submitted and approved by the School of Music Office for assignment. Students who submit an Accompanist Agreement Form after the second week of classes are not assured that an accompanist can be assigned for that semester.

2.  Applied music professors and students are not to ask accompanists for extra rehearsal or lesson times beyond what has been requested on the Accompanist Agreement Form.

3.  Students and/or faculty members should notify accompanists at least 24 hours in advance if they cannot attend a rehearsal, coaching session, or lesson.  Otherwise, the student and faculty member forfeit the time.  The missed time will not be rescheduled, and the accompanist will still be paid for that time.  Accompanists will reschedule for a sudden illness or emergency.  Accompanists are not required to reschedule more than two lessons or coaching sessions per semester per student.

4.  When faculty members need to reschedule a lesson, the accompanist will do so only if it is possible for the accompanist, student, and faculty member to find an additional lesson time.  The student and accompanist may meet during any lesson missed by the faculty member for an additional rehearsal.  If an accompanist misses a lesson or coaching, it is expected that the accompanist will reschedule the appointment.

5.  At the beginning of each semester, the student must provide the accompanist with the music, even if there is no need for an accompanist until the end of the semester.  An accompanist is not responsible for learning music given by a student with less than a month to prepare before the first rehearsal or lesson.

6.  The faculty member and student should give the accompanist the dates for recitals, student recital hours, and end of semester juries by the second week of the semester in which the events occur.  It would be helpful for the faculty member to provide the accompanist with syllabi containing all studio policies and jury dates.

7.  At the end of the spring semester (by the last day of classes), faculty members should inform the SOM Office of the number of students in their studios who will need accompanists for recitals and Sophomore Proficiency Exams in the upcoming year.  In the fall semester preceding spring concerto auditions, faculty members should submit the names of students who need accompanists for concerto auditions to the SOM Office.  Faculty members and students who wait until the spring semester to request accompanists for spring recitals, Sophomore Proficiency Exams, and/or concerto auditions are not assured that an accompanist can be assigned.

8.  A student needing an accompanist for competitions and compact disc recordings (i.e. graduate school application materials) should pay the accompanist as an independent contractor.  The accompanists will set their own rates.

9.  The purchased time with an accompanist for lessons, rehearsals, and/or extra events must be used during the semester in which it is purchased.  No time can be carried over into subsequent semesters.

10.  The purchased time with an accompanist for lessons, rehearsals, and/or extra events cannot be shared with another student.  Each student must individually submit a completed Accompanist Agreement Form in order to work with a staff accompanist in a given semester.  An accompanist will not play for lessons, rehearsals, and/or extra events unless the agreement, signed by the student, applied music professor, and accompanist has been submitted and approved for assignment.