Music at Hamilton
Staff Pianists
The Staff Pianist program at Hamilton College supports the Solo Performance and Applied Music program for both students and instructors, while also educating the student pianist in the art of playing and performing with other musicians. The program includes both student and professional pianists and is administered by the Coordinator of Staff Pianists, Sar-Shalom Strong, and the Student Staff Pianist Coach, Colleen Pellman.
Student Staff Pianists
Student staff pianists (SSP's) play for private lessons and rehearse with their assigned student performers. Auditions for these positions are held at the beginning of fall semester, and by request at the beginning of spring semester. The normal assignment is two to four students.
SSP's meet with each student performer for one half-hour of lesson time and one half-hour of rehearsal weekly. They perform with singers/instrumentalists in Musicales, student recitals, and masterclasses. They meet with the Student Staff Pianist Coach for a lesson on accompaniments at least once each semester.
SSP's are paid at the hourly rate for student teaching assistants. They are also paid for some practice time and are also eligible for departmental lesson stipends which help cover cost of private lessons. Student staff pianist payroll issues are handled by the Student Staff Pianist Coach.
Professional Staff Pianists
Because of the greater performance expectations for Solo Performance, professional accompanists are assigned only to Solo Performance students. Every effort will first be made to match student performers with appropriately competent student pianists, for which there is no time limit for hours used. Applied Music students may contact the Coordinator of Staff Pianists to arrange for a professional accompanist at the rate of $40 per hour; student pianists are available for Applied Music students with no time limit.
The number of professional accompanist hours a Solo Performance student may use in a given semester are given below. This includes practice with the accompanist, the accompanist’s presence at lessons, and the use of the accompanist in preparation for any public performances, including musicales, concert auditions, repertoire classes, and actual performance time. Students wishing to work with a professional accompanist beyond these time allowances need to consult with the Coordinator of Staff Pianists and sign a contract with the College for the additional time at the rate of $35 per hour:
• Solo Performance half hour lessons: up to 3 hours
• Solo Performance one-hour lessons: up to 6 hours
• Advanced Solo Performance one-hour lessons: up to 7 hours
• Students preparing Half Recitals with departmental approval (who would necessarily be taking Advanced Solo Performance one-hour lessons): up to 8.5 hours for the semester in which the recital is scheduled.
• Students preparing Full Recitals with departmental approval (who would necessarily be taking Advanced Solo Performance one-hour lessons): up to 13 hours for the semester in which the recital is scheduled.
Requesting a Pianist
At the beginning of each semester the Coordinator will solicit from the studio instructors a list of students needing a staff pianist; these are to be submitted by the 3rd week of lessons. All scores must be submitted to the assigned pianist by the 5th week of lessons.
Any subsequent requests for staff pianists must be made by contacting the Coordinator; requests received after the 3rd week cannot be guaranteed coverage. For spring semester half and full recitals and musicales the student should submit piano scores to the Coordinator or the assigned staff pianist by the 10th lesson of the fall semester. The staff pianist will be prepared to begin rehearsals the second week of spring semester. For fall semester half and full recitals and musicales the student must contact the Coordinator by e-mail by April 15th of the previous spring semester to establish appropriate guidelines.
Any student who does not contact their staff pianist within two weeks of notification will lose their paid hours for the assigned staff pianist.
Any singer or instrumentalist who fails to inform their pianist of a canceled lesson or rehearsal will be billed by the Music Department. For a student pianist the rate is $13; for a professional pianist the rate is $35.
Please note: A student playing on a Weekday Musicale must contact their accompanist no less than one week prior to the Musicale. The accompanist must have been present for at least one lesson so that the student/accompanist joint performance may be reviewed by the teacher. Any student who misses these deadlines will not perform.
Guidelines for Student Performers and Staff Pianists
- Staff Pianists are not there to teach notes to singers. Singers who do not read music well are encouraged to sign up for beginning piano lessons.
- Students will provide legible music scores to their staff pianist. These must be purchased copies. Any student who arrives at an audition with photocopied music, and who cannot demonstrate that a printed score has already been ordered, may not audition. The guidelines on photocopying music and copyright issues has more information.
- Pianists are not expected to read in a lesson music that was not supplied by the student at least one week in advance. While a teacher can ask a staff pianist to sight-read at the lesson, the pianist may honor or refuse the request.
- Student pianists will arrive at lessons promptly and with the music prepared. If the student staff pianist is experiencing difficulty in learning the music, the teacher should advise the student staff pianist to seek coachings with the Student Staff Pianist Coach.
- When preparing for performance, the teacher will give attention during the lesson to the pianist as well. There is to be a give-and-take on matters of interpretation between student, pianist, and teacher, with the teacher serving as authority.
- The Coordinator may withdraw a staff pianist from any situation in which the student soloist is not fulfilling his or her obligations.
- Any problem concerning professional staff pianists should be referred to the Coordinator. Any problem concerning student staff pianists should be referred to the Student Staff Pianist Coach.