SigMT

SiG MT 34 SHOW & TELL To prevent the exodus of organists, educating future generations of organ players needs to become a priority. Activities like church and music hall tours, music camps, and live concerts or recitals serve as important vehicles to communicate the science, engineering, history, and artistry behind the instrument. Allowing curious students to see, first-hand, how the organ is so much more powerful than the piano can lead to meaningful conversations about its place, purpose, and value. Winter is already implementing this: "I do introduce my own piano students, who have the keyboarding skills already in-tact, to do some group lessons, and take them to churches with pipe organs to show them the inner workings, just to create that lile spark of interest. It shows them the beauty of the sound and the uniqueness of learning how to play the organ. It is giving them those skills that might point them toward a career or even a part-time job during college." In addition, Winter offers another suggestion: "An organ can adapt to most genres through registration and touch. Try to include three to four different genres when playing. For example, try some traditional, some contemporary, maybe something more spiritual, folk, or country to try to touch bases on a variety of levels. You can do this in hymns, Revival Heather Bode is an award-winning children's magazine writer. She's a non-fiction junkie who loves to tell the stories of people she meets and interviews. Heather lives in Helena with her husband and five children. preludes, postludes, and special music to try to connect the dots between the different age groups that walk through the door." Today's organists love to create music to not only satisfy themselves, but to lead those gathered (most oen) in worship. ey have an appreciation for the power and complexity of a lone instrument that emits full orchestral sounds. Along with that, Pitstick says the organ has taught him one important life-skill: the art of improvisation. You know those intermient silences in a church service where the organist plays random notes but makes them sound like a song? He concludes, "ere are many times in life when things don't go to plan. Knowing how to improvise allows a person to negate obstacles as they come, not aer they come." While the destiny of the pipe organ remains uncertain, its musicians continue to surreptitiously serve. Let's ensure their talent and dedication to this ancient cra will not be overlooked. S MT Pitstick says, "Su Suits has been my mentor through my life in music. I enrolled as a student with her at the end of eighth grade. She has guided me at every turn because she recognized my love of music." "All of my friends and colleagues know that I play the piano and organ, however many (in fact almost all of them) have never seen me play a concert piece on the piano or any song on the organ," says Pitstick. He hopes to change that with his Senior Recital.

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