How to hire a pianist

How to hire a pianist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step pianist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a pianist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new pianist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a pianist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The pianist hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A pianist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, pianists from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents pianist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Pianist	Description	Hourly rate
   Pianist	Musicians and singers play instruments or sing for live audiences and in recording studios.	$12-54
   Musician	A musician specializes in performing or producing music through different mediums. Most of their responsibilities will revolve around practicing to develop their skills and enhance their performance, receiving training from experts to monitor progress and identify weaknesses to improve... Show more	$12-61
   Accompanist	An Accompanist is a person who provides musical accompaniment to another musician or to a singer. They generally play keyboard instruments, such as piano, pipe organ, or synthesizer.	$11-53

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Piano Performance
   • Chamber Music
   • Classical Music
   • Chorus
   • Music Theory
   • Piano Music
   • Piano Accompaniment
   • Private Parties
   • Easter
   • Private Lessons
   • Baptist
   • NYC
   • Contemporary Music
   • Piano Lessons

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Skil at creation and maintenance of Milli's Bandcamp and Facebook websites.
   • Organize rehearsals, book shows, and collaborate in songwriting efforts with band members
   • Collaborate with teachers and directors to assist in learning and memorization.
   • Collaborate with teachers and directors to assist in learning and memorization.

   More pianist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your pianist job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A pianist salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a pianist in Washington may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level pianist usually earns less than a senior-level pianist. Additionally, a pianist with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average pianist salary

   $53,479yearly

   $25.71 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level pianist salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average pianist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$72,700	$35
   2	New York	$69,426	$33
   3	Illinois	$63,252	$30
   4	Michigan	$59,528	$29
   5	Maryland	$53,861	$26
   6	South Carolina	$49,249	$24
   7	Texas	$48,654	$23
   8	Indiana	$46,868	$23
   9	Georgia	$46,729	$22
   10	Florida	$44,996	$22
   11	Idaho	$40,102	$19
   12	Colorado	$33,935	$16

   Average pianist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	SUNY Geneseo	$83,297	$40.05
   2	PSEA	$83,223	$40.01
   3	State University of New York College at Cortland	$80,116	$38.52
   4	Houston Ballet	$69,941	$33.63
   5	The Joffrey Ballet	$68,619	$32.99
   6	Johns Hopkins University	$67,762	$32.58	4
   7	Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi	$59,219	$28.47
   8	First United Church of Christ	$53,551	$25.75
   9	Evangelical Presbyterian Church	$41,286	$19.85
   10	Lynn University	$36,537	$17.57	3
   11	Columbus State University	$34,527	$16.60	1
   12	Von Maur	$26,542	$12.76
   13	Worlds of Fun	$25,291	$12.16
   14	Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25	$23,425	$11.26

4. Writing a pianist job description

   A pianist job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a pianist job description:

   Pianist job description example

   A Pianist provides a pleasant shopping environment by playing piano music for customers' enjoyment. Primary job responsibilities of a Pianist include the following:
   
   -Plays a selection of music on the piano, according to current guidelines. May play from memory, by ear, or may read music; making minimal errors.
   
   -Plays customer requests. Courteous to customers, greets them cordially, and provides them with a pleasant musical background.
   -Prepares new music to add to repertoire, varies type of music played throughout the shift.
   
   -Dusts and polishes piano regularly, keeping playing area neat.
   
   Von Maur was founded in 1872 with two simple goals - provide a wide selection of quality merchandise and establish excellent customer service principles by treating every customer like family. Since then, Von Maur has deliberately and steadily grown and expanded the variety of services offered to our customers. Our wide range of customer services include free delivery, complimentary gift wrapping, no questions asked customer return policy, alterations, and an interest free charge card. Today, 36 Von Maur stores are scattered across 15 states: Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma and Wisconsin; and we're still expanding. Our corporate headquarters and e-commerce facility are located in Davenport, Iowa.
   
   The integrity and values that have pleased our customers for generations also make Von Maur a wonderful place to work. We value the diversity of our employees and each associate contributes in a unique way to our customer's experience. Von Maur employees are friendly and have a passion for customer service. Being a part of our team requires dedication, enthusiasm and flexibility. Associates are empowered to make decisions, acting in the best interest of the customer.
   
   Our company culture is characterized by a promote from within philosophy. We hire people with the intent to promote them as far as their ability and ambition will take them.
   
   Von Maur provides high quality jobs with excellent benefit packages that have a positive impact on the health, happiness and future of our associates and their families.
   
   External Company URL: www.vonmaur.com
   
   Street: 6701 West 135th Street

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right pianist for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with pianists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit pianists who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your pianist job on Zippia to find and recruit pianist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit pianists, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new pianist

   Once you have selected a candidate for the pianist position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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