I always seem to panic when someone asks me how much I charge for accompanying for festivals/exams etc. Being a piano teacher, I'm not talking about my own students.

Any ideas. How much for rehearsals/performances. Does preparation time come into it?

I live in the South East. Have a music degree and have been teaching and accompanying for 15 years.

Cheers all

Hi jakeandmillieandalfie,

My accompanist in Nottinghamshire charged 22 pounds an hour for rehearsals and this included preparation time. For recitals and so forth she charged around 10-15 pounds for the performance, however you are often expected to be around beforehand to practice/ tune up, which is taking more of your time. Added to this is the time taken travelling to and from venues, which eats up more potential teaching time.

I once had to pay a jazz pianist 25 pounds for one song because he had to cancel an hour-long pupil in order to do it, and I was compensating teaching time lost. I didn't mind because he was great and it meant he was then around beforehand to go over bits and sound check.

Perhaps if you use your current teaching rates as a guideline and work from there? People are paying for your expertise as well as your time.

Hi Jake and Jazzy...
Whilst we are on this subject, can you tell me how to bring up the subject of accompanying fees? Our girl's teacher is very nice - he doesn't charge when lesson time is overshot - but he didn't say a thing abt accompanying fees. However, we MUST pay him espy since he's also an accompanist by profession as well. HOW (what words to use???) shall we bring up the subject tactfully? Seeing him tonight! Urgent advice needed now...

Thanks!

Hi Tess,

Is this for an exam? Perhaps you could tactfully mention you were wondering if your daughter needs any more accompanying rehearsals before the event (as a general progress question) and then ask for any accompanying fees to invoiced after the event (he should then hopefully include a breakdown of times and a final fee). This shows that you don't take him for granted and you respect the time commitment he will have to provide.

He sounds like generous person and will probably be grateful you brought it up and not him! I know I hate the idea of springing extra costs on parents! If he also a tutor, they can be quite flexible about charging, I've had tutors who have been generous with time and money and in a the past I've found my accompanying invoice to reflect that

Let me know how it goes!
JW

Tess - why not just ask him?

Liz

Yes, Liz but how? That's the question. She doesn't need any more accompanying rehearsals since she's his tutee! Anyway, I was going to say - By the way, please don't forget to charge us for accompanying her 'cause we don't want to take you for granted, do we? Sounds much too blunt or un-English - if you ask me!

Is the above OK, Liz?

I would probably ask in more of a 'how much do we owe you for accompanying?' style question. Some teachers accompany their pupils free of charge; others feel that they need to be paid for doing it as they're missing out on other work to do it: I would think that the most polite way, therefore, is to assume that you will pay by asking that sort of question, he can then also say, if he wishes 'No it's okay I do it for free' and feel really generous! Having said that I'm one for really dwelling on how to say things to people the right way, but I always try to tell myself now it doesn't really matter after all, he's not going to remember how you asked this in a year's time.

Me, too. Dwelling on it... You are also right abt it not mattering in a year's time!

Your suggestions on wording AND the right frame of mind for the future sound great to me. Will do JUST what you advised.

Depends how broke he is, Tess. Believe me, I'd have been DELIGHTED to have such an offer in days when I was teaching!

I agree though, "how much do we owe you" is probably the best wording.

Liz

QUOTE]I would probably ask in more of a 'how much do we owe you for accompanying?' style question.

yep, anotherpianist has hit the nail on the head, I think that's the best way too.

Best of luck!

Hi again

For exams up to grade 7 standard, I charge the entry fee. For +grade 7, entry fee + 50% to reflect some of the extra preparation. This is an 'all in', includes one rehearsal and all expenses. Extra rehearsals I charge at my normal teaching fee. This system had the advantage of having incrfeases built into the structure.

Festivals, auditions and concerts are more of a problem; I tend to go on a 'who it doing what' basis. For example, I have never taken money directly off a student and never would; exactly the same engagement might cost someone clearly loaded £100.

On the separate question of paying someone for work they are donating free, Tess, he is doing it because he wants to. I do exactly the same for my piano pupils when I accompany their string\wind exams. I do not ask for extra payment but find it highly agreeable when a parent pays a bill saying, "There is some extra on there as a thanks for .....". On occasions, the 'little extra' has been a lot more than I would have charged. Might this be the solution to your dilemma?

Steve

THANKS TO YOU BOTH, JAZZY AND ANOTHERPIANIST, my hubby asked your question but he didn't want to charge! Oh well, we'll buy him a very nice present which will cost more than if he had charged as a present for his birthday round the corner. What a pleasant surprise. I can't wait!