Live Dance Percussionist — Part-Time Accompanist

Pointpark; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 28,000 - 48,000; Part time

Job summary

Pointpark seeks a part-time Percussion Accompanist to provide drum/percussion accompaniment for studio and class dance work. The role requires excellence in percussion performance and improvisation, with knowledge of Modern and West African dance repertoires, and strong organizational skills to handle university scheduling.

The accompanist will perform live, improvised music to support students, select appropriate material, emphasize counts and transitions, and collaborate with faculty to meet

Qualifications

• Excellence in percussion performance and improvisation.
• Experience accompanying live dance classes.
• Knowledge of Modern and West African dance repertoires.
• Strong organizational skills for university scheduling.

Responsibilities

• Provide live, improvised percussion accompaniment for dance classes.
• Select and perform material with accurate meter, tempo, dynamics.
• Support dance structure with rhythm, counts, transitions, and cues for dancers.
• Accompany Modern and West African dance classes, incl. Graham and Horton exercises.
• Develop a broad dance-accompaniment vocabulary through observation of others and exploration of diverse traditions.
• Collaborate with faculty and staff and adapt to changing instructional and scheduling needs.

Skills

Percussion performance

Live dance accompaniment

Improvisation

Time management

Tools

Percussion instruments

Job description

Pointpark seeks a part-time Percussion Accompanist to provide drum/percussion accompaniment for studio and class dance work. The role requires excellence in percussion performance and improvisation, with knowledge of Modern and West African dance repertoires, and strong organizational skills to handle university scheduling.

The accompanist will perform live, improvised music to support students, select appropriate material, emphasize counts and transitions, and collaborate with faculty to meet