Pipe Organ Field Trip

Today many of the students in my studio went on a field trip to a large church that had a pipe organ with 2,996 pipes. The organist is always so accommodating to my studio, bringing extra pipes and instrument parts, explaining the workings of the monstrous instrument, describing the different-than-piano-technique needed to play the organ, and best of all, getting just the right sound for all the students' pieces. Today it was mostly my youngest students, and it was a really nice group. If you look carefully through the pictures, you can see the reactions of some of the youngsters when the organ reaches its loudest volume!

The children were kept fascinated not just by the playing, but also by the demonstrations.

Pictured above is the LaDonna, the organist who has been a wonderful guide to my students in their first introduction to the king of instruments!

(Did anyone ever write a method called "Teaching Little Feet to Play?")

When you pull out all the stops for the lowest pedal pipes the whole room vibrates and it can get startlingly loud...

...inducing fits of giggles

(You gotta do what you gotta do!)

The "tubas" up top

Their duet turned out to be more suited to the organ than the piano!

There were more students who are not pictured playing, but sometimes I had to listen, too! This is the only instrument I have ever seen that has its own telephone. I should have given it its own picture, as well as the pile of little shoes that grew as more and more children performed! LaDonna, as well as the other listeners had many fine things to say about these young performers who adapted their considerable pianistic skills to the pipe organ this afternoon.

Thanks to all that participated!