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What is an accompanist and how to become one
An Accompanist is an individual musician who provides musical accompaniment to dancers, singers, and other artists during performances or rehearsals. He/she plays a musical instrument (piano, guitar, or harp) while the other artist sings or dances. An accompanist can be hired to work in a school, theater, church, community choir, or even to work privately for a musician.
The role of an accompanist is greatly demanding because one needs to be attentive to the tiniest of details. You must be able to match the lead artist's style and be quick to react to their mistakes.
Essential skills to enable you to become a successful accompanist include interpersonal skills, sensitivity to performance elements (tempo, phrasing, tone, etc.), networking, and a broad musical range.
The work schedule of an accompanist is a very flexible one. Depending on the area of work, the schedule may be different every week. The late hours may be as a result of rehearsals and performances taking place at night or during the weekends.
What general advice would you give to an Accompanist?
Michael Blackburn M.A.
Visiting Assistant Professor, Saint Mary's College
Avg. Salary $52,645
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth Rate 4%
Growth Rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.18%
Asian 5.61%
Black or African American 9.00%
Hispanic or Latino 12.33%
Unknown 5.11%
White 67.78%
Genderfemale 61.42%
male 38.58%
Age - 43American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 43Stress level is moderate
7.1 - high
Complexity Level is challenging
7 - challenging
Work Life balance is good
6.4 - fair
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Accompanist career paths
Key steps to become an accompanist
Explore accompanist education requirements
Start to develop specific accompanist skills
Skills 
Percentages Music Theory 17.83% Sight-Read 16.42% Piano Performance 15.61% Singers 8.17% Piano Accompaniment 8.06% Research accompanist duties and responsibilities
- Provide solos for worship services, lead tenor section of adult choir
- Chart chords for gospel choir songs.
- Accompany individual voice, violin, and cello students.
- Accompany cello, violin and piano students in competition, recital, workshop, and certification programs.
Prepare your accompanist resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your accompanist resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an accompanist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
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Build a professional Accompanist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Accompanist resume.
Apply for accompanist jobs
Now it's time to start searching for an accompanist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
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Average accompanist salary
The average Accompanist salary in the United States is $52,645 per year or $25 per hour. Accompanist salaries range between $24,000 and $111,000 per year.
What Am I Worth?
How do accompanists rate their job?
Accompanist reviews
nothing at all love it
I love my job. Music has always been an integral part of my life. I love working with the kids and watching their growth from the time they begin with us (7th grade) through when they leave us (end of 8th grade)....and throughout high school. I love knowing that I have the ability to help make a difference in their lives using music as a vehicle. At the end of the day, they will not all become music majors, but hopefully, they will love and understand a variety of music genres. I love the collaboration between the choir director and myself when choosing music, and working together to make the notes on the page into music. As an accompanist, it’s not about me...but about providing the students and director with what they need. I love hearing the final product when it all comes together. No day is ever the same, and while you have to be prepared musically, you also must have the ability to adapt lessons plans instantly...because you are working with middle schoolers, and they are ever evolving from day to day.
Mmmm. I love it all....but right now, listening and critiquing singing assignments constructively on zoom is really tough. Although I can see growth with most students, it is difficult...because Choir is a group activity...we are a choir family. Middle School vocalists listen learn, and blend with each other unconsciously...and many issues with vocal technique I hear on the recordings, would not have been an issue if students were singing with others in real time. They would have fixed it. Students that are not trying, or have just given up, or who struggle, would have been brought into the fold and worked with so they felt like an integral part of the group. We are doing our best, and we are doing a good job...but there are some students still on zoom that it is difficult to reach.
Updated January 8, 2025
