The start of the new year is a good time to reflect on what you’ve achieved in the past and to set your goals for the year to come. Many of us make new year’s resolutions around fitness or productivity. It can be just as meaningful – and fun – to make resolutions for our work as church organists.
When it comes to setting goals, it’s easy to aim high—and then struggle to achieve those goals. That’s where small, achievable goals come in. The weekly routine of playing for services creates a structure into which you can introduce small goals. Identify some small ways in which you can make each week better than the previous one. This weekly routine is also the perfect way to deal with any setbacks you encounter. Make each week a new beginning, leaving any disappointments in the past. The beauty of small goals lies in their simplicity. They’re easier to fit into your routine, and every little success builds confidence. Over time, these small wins add up to significant progress.
Over the last few weeks we have posted self-improvement tips on our Facebook page. Each one is a small achievable goal that would be a useful new year’s resolution. Here is a reminder of those tips with a links to a few useful resources:
You’ll find some helpful advice on selecting a registration in our Registrations for Repertoire videos presented by David O’Shea.
Our Getting Started with Bach article includes suggestions for how to take a simple piece of music, originally composed for harpsichord, and make it more interesting by playing different parts on the swell and great. Sample sheet music is provided to illustrate this. You can use these techniques with many of the voluntaries you already know.
Our Simple Accompaniments page contains simple arrangements of popular hymn tunes that will work well with your congregation.
Writing notes or simply highlighting certain points in the music relieves you of the mental burden of remembering that something important happens at that point. This frees your mind to focus on technique. This is particularly useful if there is a note, chord or accidental that tends to catch you out. Always keep a pencil by your keyboard and mark up your sheet music to as a reminder for when you return to the music in future.
Our hymn books are a source of many and varied hymns. The Church of Ireland website contains the scripture readings and suggested hymns for each Sunday. When selecting the hymns for each service, check the website for hymn suggestions that you might otherwise have overlooked.
Take some time to listen to other organists. There are many recordings available on the web, just type "top pipe organ performers" into any search engine.
Making decision earlier creates space for a little extra practice. If your Rector picks the hymns, ask them to make the hymns available a little earlier. This is particularly useful for major festivals such as Christmas and Easter.
Pipe organs are wonderful instruments and very expensive to maintain. Many parishioners are rightly proud of the pipe organs in their churches, and yet we can easily fall into a habit of neglecting some of the organ’s features. Experiment with the instrument, figure out what each stop could be used for and find the right opportunity to let the congregation hear the variety of sounds that the organ can produce.
Our Christmas Gift for Church Organists article suggests a couple of music books that you will enjoy.
The book Hymn Tunes in Lower Keys is available on the Kevin Mayhew website. This is perhaps the most convenient way to play in a lower key. You may need to choose a brighter registration to compensate for the lower key.
In the second video of our Essential Hymn Playing series, David Adams provides advice on how to get started using the pedals when accompanying hymns.
Our Guide to Organ Voluntaries includes six videos by David O’Shea that will both inspire you and provide practical advice for learning new voluntaries.
Our Living Worship page reports on the many events we have held in the past. Subscribe to our mailing list, or follow us on Facebook to ensure you are notified of future events.
Booking just a few lessons with an organ tutor is a great way to refocus, re-energize, and bring fresh inspiration to your playing. It may be many years since you last took a music lesson. Organ tutors are willing to help you achieve the goals you have set for yourself or to work with you to identify new goals. If you would like assistance to find an organ tutor within the Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough, contact our Hon. Secretary Jacqueline Mullen at honsec@churchmusicdublin.org.
So this year, think small—but consistent. Set goals you know you can reach, celebrate every step forward, and watch how those little victories turn into something extraordinary. After all, great music isn’t built in a day—it’s crafted one note at a time.