Amy Boers
A Voice from the Piano:Conductor-Pianist Collaboration
Wednesday, March 4th 4:30pm
Session Description
A Voice from the Piano: Exploration of Conductor-Choir Effectiveness through Development of a Collaborative Pianist. This session will explore the immense power of the conductor-accompanist relationship and its effect on developing your ensemble. As conductor and pianist co-develop a collaborative model, shared teaching in conducting, vocal pedagogy, artistry, technique, and leadership becomes possible.
Whether we conduct an elementary all-school choir, auditioned high school ensemble, highest-level college/university choir, or a non-auditioned choir, we share a general framework in our rehearsals. Conductor, singers, and accompanist, more recently referred to as a collaborative pianist, join in teaching and learning. The “collaborative pianist” is a relatively recent term as our discipline discovers the power of co-teaching and coaching.
This session will discover ways in which a conductor can encourage and help develop a collaborative relationship with the accompanist - no matter the level - and utilize keyboard skills and aural skills to a greater degree. In addition, session attendees will discover tricks of the trade: ways in which a collaborative pianist can help the choir with rhythm, tuning, onsets, sight-singing, and vocal pedagogy.
By looking through the lens of both conductor and pianist, this session will provide valuable insights into developing and effectively utilizing the power of conductor-pianist collaboration in the choral setting through invitation, observation, and participation.
Clinician Bio
Amy Boers is well known as a collaborative pianist, music director, singer, and church musician. Amy currently holds positions at Pacific Lutheran University, Symphony Tacoma Voices (pianist and assistant rehearsal conductor) and is Director of Music at Mountain View Lutheran Church. Her work at PLU varies between rehearsal pianist for three choral ensembles, opera workshop, accompanying and coaching private students, team-teaching theater courses, and she is resident Music Director in PLU's Theater & Dance Department.
As a conductor, Amy has led regional honor choirs and coached developing choral conductors from across the Western Hemisphere at the annual Cascade Conducting Workshop in Tacoma. As a true collaborative artist known for her deep insight and “getting inside the conductor’s head,” she provides feedback through the special lens of accompanist, singer and conductor combined.