Playing for ballet class: a page of tips
In December 2012 I posted daily articles about what I've learned about playing for ballet classes over the last 25…
Playing for ballet class tips #25: respect the ritual
Class has a ritual, liturgical quality to it, particularly in a company. It is daily, it happens at a particular…
Playing for ballet class tips #24: Speak up – don’t act the pianist
I can’t remember when exactly I discovered this, but it was life-changing. If you’ve got a question in class or…
Playing for ballet class tips #23: Watch the teacher
The advice to ‘watch the teacher’ is so obvious, it should have been one of the very first tips. But…
Playing for ballet class tips #22: With harmony too, less is more
If you’re improvising or harmonising a melody, there’s a lot to be said for just sticking to simple harmonies, and…
Playing for ballet class tip #21: Make friends with a notator
If there’s one kind of person in the ballet universe who can really understand where you’re coming from as a…