Yesterday morning I met Michael for a lesson at Trinity Episcopal Church. My previous lesson was over 2 months ago, so it felt great to be seated at the console of a well cared for pipe organ again. The sound from this instrument makes me feel alive and joyful.
Overall, this lesson went very well. I still have tempo issues to resolve but my practice time while using the metronome has paid off as I showed some improvement. Also, after many months of practice, Michael approved my performance of the Andante movement of Mendelssohn’s Sonata No. 6. I am not able to play it perfectly each time just yet, but well enough that I no longer need to focus on it during my practice time. If you would like to hear what this piece sounds like check out Hans-André Stamm video on YouTube. I do not feel confident enough to play it for an audience yet.
At the end of my lesson I take a picture of the nave from the balcony. This is the first church I have been in that uses chairs instead of pews.
Heidi Bender writes about her experiences of learning to play the organ. She started on the adventure in 2009.
She also writes on her website Tons of Thanks, which helps people write thank-you notes. Heidi is also a cat lady who writes at The Joy of Cats.