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College of Fine Arts
School of Music
College of Fine Arts
School of Music

Collaborative Piano Request

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You are encouraged to submit this form as soon as possible since pianist resources are limited, and assignments will begin immediately to allow for maximum partnership time once the semester begins. While you may initially submit incomplete requests, form responses may be amended while open and all final submissions must be made by February 20, 2026, after which the form will be deactivated.

By submitting this form, you acknowledge that while the piano division will make every attempt to pair you with a pianist, there is no guarantee expressed or implied that a pianist will be provided in every case due to limited resources. Please read these guidelines in their entirety before making a submission to be familiar with all available options.

In keeping with previous TCU SOM policy, budgetary constraints allow for TCU-subsidized pianists (faculty, student Graduate Assistants [GAs], and staff pianists) to be available for music majors only. Non-majors, minors, or musical theater students are not eligible for TCU School of Music-subsidized pianists. Students who cannot be covered by TCU-paid accompanying services will be provided with a list of TCU-approved freelance collaborative pianists for private arrangements.

Important Guidelines

  1. It is required to use this form in order to work with any TCU undergraduate or Graduate Assistant student pianist. While it is highly recommended that you utilize this form for any collaborative pianist needs, faculty and students may choose to contact staff/faculty pianists directly as well. Please note that payment to staff/faculty pianists by TCU may not be guaranteed for any requests made outside of this form.
  2. Once an assignment is confirmed in writing by Dr. Bukhman, the professor and/or student who requested the pianist must immediately contact that pianist to discuss all relevant details. It is not the pianists’ responsibility to make initial contact. Should the assigned pianist or Dr. Bukhman not hear from the requesting student/professor in a timely manner, the assignment may be revoked at the Piano Division’s discretion.
  3. Please provide music (score/PDF) to the pianist, if needed, as soon as a pianist assignment is confirmed via email. In cases where scores are not immediately available, every effort should be made to obtain and provide the scores to the pianist as soon as possible to allow them the necessary time to learn the music. Pianists will be released from an assignment if music is not provided in a timely manner or if repertoire is changed too close to a performance.
  4. Graduate Assistant (GA) pianists typically have a maximum of 9-10 weekly playing hours in total (some have fewer), distributed among various studios/ensembles; AD students typically have 4. They will be assigned based on a variety of factors, including previous experience and schedule availability. Please note that an hour of assistantship/AD playing per week should not entail more than 30 minutes of repertoire. A 2-hour assistantship would be assigned for any music over 30 minutes and up to 1 hour in length. This rule allows our pianists the time to learn the repertoire properly and apply it in both rehearsal and lessons in any given week. In any case, a GA pianist is not expected to spend more time than their assistantship indicates per partner per week.
  5. Please be mindful of our piano students’ responsibilities for their own juries and/or recitals and avoid waiting until late in the semester to begin utilizing your pianist. Regardless of when the collaboration begins, student pianists are only obligated for their weekly assignment; no requests to “double up” or “make up” previously unused hours may be made. Any such attempts will result in the immediate cancellation of the pianist assignment. While the beginning of the semester is typically “slow,” be in touch with your pianist as soon as possible to create a fair and workable semester plan.
  6. No-show rehearsals/lessons without at least 24-hour advance notice to the pianist will result in forfeiture of that week’s collaboration time. The pianist will still be credited for that time, and the lesson/rehearsal will not be made up. On the other hand, if a pianist is a no-show without similar advance notice, this should be reported to Dr. Bukhman immediately, and the missed time will be made up. Please maintain written records of all scheduling should a dispute arise.
  7. Please note: Student pianist GAs may not be asked to go off campus by any faculty for any activity, school-related or not, until such activity is approved by Dr. Bukhman and the Director of the School of Music. All GA playing must only be directly related to the specific educational activity listed on the form (e.g., recitals, juries, etc.) Personal recording projects or non-TCU related activities will not count towards the pianist’s assistantship and should be compensated privately.
  8. Please aim to work in good faith with your assigned pianist in all school-related matters. In cases where a dispute arises or there are any problems with your pianist’s preparation, attitude, or lack of communication, please contact Dr. Bukhman promptly. Please document in writing any initial agreements with your pianist/s for future reference.

While pianist assignments will be made based on first-come-first-served form responses, the following order of prioritization will generally be utilized in the assignment process:

  1. Large ensembles with regular schedules
  2. Required graduate and undergraduate recitals
  3. Non-required/elective recitals
  4. Concerto competitions
  5. Juries
  6. Regular lessons
  7. Other projects

Please note that other ways of collaborating that do not involve payment are available and include:

  • Collaboration with Dr. Cecilia Lo-Chien Kao, Associate Professor of Professional Practice/Collaborative Piano Artist (contact Dr. Kao directly or utilize this form)
  • Collaboration with MM Collaborative Piano majors
  • MUSI 10170/60170 (Collaborative Skills; Fridays 12-12:50p in PRH)
  • MUSI 51081 (AD Collaborative Piano—ideal for AD students who wish to be paired with AD pianists)
  • MUSI 60191 (Vocal Coaching for Pianists—ideal for beginner voice majors)

If possible, please explore these options first. Contact Dr. Bukhman for details.

Staff Pianists with limited, TCU-paid weekly quotas

Please note that due to extremely limited budgets across the board, TCU student (UG or GA) and faculty pianists must be utilized fully BEFORE reaching out to TCU-paid Staff Pianists. If a TCU staff pianist reaches his or her quota for any given week, any additional work with that pianist must be paid for directly by the student.

TCU Faculty Pianists

Please contact Dr. Bukhman for an updated list of local, TCU-vetted freelance pianists (to be compensated directly by students or faculty) and with any questions regarding these guidelines.

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