SOPP686: "As of January, I became the Director of Music, a position I had never expected to hold"
This question was sent by Robin, and she writes: Hello, I am a singer first and a pianist second. . . and an organist very much third! I was asked last September to serve as a short-term substitute pianist for a church whose organist had fallen and injured herself. The piano playing was easily accomplished with my existing skills. After a short time, the organist decided that it was time to retire, and the organist job became available permanently, and it was offered to me. I made it clear that I did not play the organ but that I was willing to learn, and the church was willing to accept me on that basis. The church's choir had not sung for 22 months because of COVID, and so they had lost their choir director as well. I offered to cover both positions, as is done in many churches. So as of January, I became the Director of Music, a position I had never expected to hold. I'm taking organ lessons as fast as I can with the best organist in town, and I am playing the organ every Sunday and working hard to choose fine, liturgically appropriate music that is manageable at my novice level. All of that is a long way of saying that there is way more to playing the organ than I, as a pianist, ever imagined. I had thought it would mainly be a matter of learning about the stops and learning to play the pedals, and the manuals would be no problem. I had no prior understanding of the very different fingering technique required for the organ. So I am doing my best with my limited abilities to play music that contributes to the worship services, that interests and uplifts the congregation, and that is musically of a high quality. The three main obstacles I am working to overcome in order to do that are 1) learning to play the pedals, 2) learning about registrations and 3) learning about proper fingering technique. I realize that that pretty much covers most everything about playing the organ, but you asked for the three main things with which I need help! I need more time and more practice and more instruction on all of these aspects in order to play at the level to which I aspire. Thank you. ~Robin