058: What Piano Teachers Need to Know About Accompanying with Cori Belle

In this episode, Cori Belle shares her journey from high school accompanist to accomplished collaborative pianist. She talks about how strong solo skills, sight-reading, and learning by doing shaped her accompanying career. Cori offers practical advice for piano teachers who want to prepare their students for accompanying roles, including the importance of listening, balance, and rhythm. She also discusses building relationships with choir directors, adapting to different instruments and voices, and how duet playing and chord knowledge support ensemble skills. Whether you're new to accompanying or want to strengthen your teaching, Cori brings thoughtful, actionable insights.

• Cori shared how she started accompanying in high school and quickly fell in love with collaborative playing.
• She explained how strong solo piano skills supported her growth as an accompanist.
• The importance of sight-reading and learning on the job.
• Why collaboration and sharing music stood out in her experience.
• How foundational skills like balance, phrasing, and steady rhythm are crucial to prepare students for accompanying roles.
• She suggested exposing students to accompanying through listening and role models.
• How duet playing helps build ensemble skills.
• Why sight-reading and chord knowledge prepare students for real accompanying work.
• Key differences between accompanying singers, wind players, and string players.
• How strong relationships with choir directors are essential for successful choral accompanying.
• Cori introduced her digital resources for piano teachers and accompanists.

Links Mentioned

• Cori's website: CoriBelle.com
• Cori's YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@Corigirl12
• Cori's Instagram page: @coribellepiano

Today's Guest

Cori Belle is a concert pianist specializing in the fields of collaborative piano and choral music. She is a frequently sought-after collaborator for both vocalists and instrumentalists and maintains a private piano studio in the Seattle area. Cori is the founding artistic director and performing member of Indie Musikhaus house concerts. Her self-recorded and self-produced solo classical album, Commonplace Beauty, received critical acclaim. International Piano called it “a beautifully constructed programme.” Cori is an educator at heart and loves helping other musicians get better at what they do. She creates digital resources for piano teachers and collaborative pianists, offers coaching for choral accompanists, and blogs about creating a life of music around family life.

About Rachel Ehring

Dr. Rachel Ehring is a pianist, teacher, music administrator, and lover of piano teaching gadgets. She holds a DMA in Collaborative Piano from the University of Colorado Boulder and a MM in Accompanying from the University of Kansas. She currently serves as Director at St. John’s Conservatory of the Arts in Orange County, CA. Previously, she held positions at Concordia University Irvine and Henderson State University. Rachel is passionate about empowering music teachers to create engaging and exciting lessons for students of all ages. When she isn’t playing the piano, you might find Rachel reading books with her son or walking her beagle Frieda.

• Visit her website at RachelEhring.com
• Visit her Instagram page: @rachelehring
• Visit her YouTube channel: @dreamlavendermusic6694
• Visit her Etsy shop at Dream Lavender Music

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