Traditional Service – 9:00 a



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Southern Indiana

American Guild of Organists

League

Of

Distinguished

Honorable

Service

Tuesday, May 12th, 2020

Southern Indiana American Guild of Organists

LEAGUE of DISTINGUISHED HONORABLE SERVICE

Honoring 50 years or more of dedictaed service to

church music in Southern Indiana.

Sara Cortolillo – St. Mark’s United Church of Christ, New Albany

Janie Spitznagel – Our Lady of Perpetual Help RCC, New Albany

St. Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church, Clarksville

Morton Memorial UMC, Clarksville

Fort Bragg Post Chapel, Fayetteville, North Carolina

Theresa Bauer – St. John Presbyterian Church, New Albany

Cathedral of the Assumption, Louisville

Zion United Church of Christ, Louisville

Madison Presbyterian, Church, Madison

Highland Presbyterian Church, Louisville

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, New Albany

St. Joseph Catholic Church, Corydon

Barbara Brewster – Faith Lutheran Church, Jeffersonville

Gladys Biddle – Graceland Baptist Church, New Albany

Yvonne Grundy – Bethel A.M.E. Church, New Albany

Sharon Herndon – Sellersburg United Methodist Church

Trinity United Methodist Church, New Albany

Jean Hess – Old Capitol United Methodist Church, Corydon

April Keith – Centenary United Methodist, New Albany

First Presbyterian Church, Jeffersonville

Floyds Knobs Christian Church, Floyds Knobs

Howard Park Christian Church, Clarksville

Naomi Lilly – Main Street United Methodist Church, New Albany

Judith E. Miller, CAGO – Corydon Christian Church

Corydon United Methodist Church

Dr. Charlie Mitchell – Beechmont Presbyterian, Louisville

St. Augustine Catholic Church, Jeffersonville

St. Andrew United Church of Christ, Louisville

Springdale Presbyterian Church, Louisville

St. John Presbyterian Church, New Albany

Phyllis Neely – Silver Street United Methodist Church, New Albany

Janice Neumeister Schoen – Wall Street UMC, Jeffersonville

Park Place United Methodist, Jeffersonville

Trinity United Methodist Church, New Albany

Mary Vessels – St. Martin of Tours, Flaherty

Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church, New Albany

St. Mary’s Church of the Annunciation, New Albany

Geneva Wilkerson – Second Baptist Church, New Albany

Gary Pope – Silver Street United Methodist Church, New Albany

Park Christian Church, New Albany

Holy Family Catholic Church, New Albany

Our Lady of Perpetual Help RCC, New Albany

St. Mary’s Navilleton Catholic Church

Edwardsville United Methodist Church

Corydon Christian Church, (Disciples of Christ)

Corydon Presbyterian Church

Old Capital United Methodist Church, Corydon

Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Brandenburg

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Louisville

St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Lanesville

Loraine Allen – DePauw Memorial United Methodist Church, New Albany

Trinity United Methodist Church, New Albany

Anna Breen – Centenary United Methodist Church, New Albany

Trouy Burke – St. Mary’s Church of the Annunciation, New Albany

Holy Family Roman Catholic Church, New Albany

Dorothy Heath Carter – First Baptist Church, New Albany

St. Mark’s United Church of Christ, New Albany

Robert E. Carter – Centenary United Methodist, New Albany

St. Mark’s United Church of Christ, New Albany

Luadah Chapman – Howard Park Christian Church, Clarksville

Horace Cutler – First Baptist Church, New Albany

Hutchinson Memorial Presbyterian Church, New Albany

Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church, New Albany

Trinity United Methodist Church, New Albany

DePauw Memorial United Methodist Church, New Albany

Virginia Dickey – First Presbyterian Church, Jeffersonville

Della Dorsey – Church of the Advent Episcopal, Louisville

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, New Albany

Earline Dulworth – Floyds Knobs Christian Church, Floyds Knobs

Ethel Dunn – First Christian Church, Louisville

DePauw United Methodist Church, New Albany

St. Mark’s United Church of Christ, New Albany

Park Christian Church, New Albany

Ruth Ewing – Calvary Episcopal Church, Louisville

Park Christian Church, New Albany

Calvary Methodist Church, New Albany

Margaret Flispart – St. Mary’s Church of the Annunciation, New Albany

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, New Albany

Mary Flispart – St. Mary’s Church of the Annunciation, New Albany

Glenore Spellman Frederick – Sellersburg United Methodist Church

First Christian Church, Jeffersonville

St. Luke’s United Church of Christ, Jeffersonville

Jane Hagmann – First Baptist Church, New Albany

Irma Hammond – Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church, New Albany

Bertram Heckel – Central Christian Church, New Albany

Jennie Gebhart Hedden – First Presbyterian Church, New Albany

Susan Elizabeth Hedden – First Presbyterian Church, New Albany

Hutchinson Memorial Presbyterian Church, New Albany

Julia Holmes – St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, New Albany

Advent Christian Church, New Albany

Nancy LaFollette – Trinity United Methodist Church, New Albany

Michael Neely – DePauw Memorial United Methodist Church, New Albany

St. Mark’s United Church of Christ, New Albany

First Presbyterian Church, Jeffersonville

Phillip Peters – St. Mark’s United Church of Christ, New Albany

Wall Street United Methodist Church, Jeffersonville

Central Presbyterian Church, Louisville

DePauw Memorial United Methodist Church, New Albany

Cook Memorial United Methodist Church, Jeffersonville

Sellersburg United Methodist Church, Sellersburg

Crescent Hill United Methodist Church, Louisville

Martha Ritz – Central Christian Church, New Albany

DePauw Memorial United Methodist Church, New Albany

Frances Quinn – Hutchinson Memorial Presbyterian Church, New Albany

Grace Mae Sample – Corydon United Methodist Church, Corydon

Ruth Bartle Scott – Park Christian Church, New Albany

Juanita Weber – Howard Park Christian Church, Clarksville

If you know someone that should be added to our list please contact: adamsmusic@ or lambd61@

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The American Guild of Organists is an organization for Organists, Choir Directors, and music lovers whose purpose is to promote the organ in its historic and evolving roles, to encourage excellence in the performance of organ music, and to foster a thriving community of musicians who share their knowledge and inspire passion for the organ.

Southern Indiana AGO Chapter Officers 2018-2020

Dean – Dr. David K. Lamb, CAGO

Sub-Dean – Gary Pope

Treasurer – Roger Hott

Secretary – Judith E. Miller, CAGO

Web-Master – John Rust



LDHS Committee: Susan Adams, David Lamb, & Gary Pope.

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The Soaring Eagle Emerging Artist Series

of

St. John Presbyterian Church

and

Southern Indiana Chapter of the American Guild of Organists

are proud to present

Andrew Johnson, organist

Friday, August 14th, 2020 at 7:00 p.m.

The Soaring Eagle “Emerging” Artist Concert Series was created by an individual donor to honor the memory of departed members of the arts and educational communities in Clark and Floyd counties, while at the same time recognizing a promising young concert artist, showcased in a concert presented on the historic Hook & Hastings/Aeolian-Skinner Pipe Organ in St. John Presbyterian Church in New Albany.

Past concerts have included:

Dr. Patrick Pope in May 2011 – In memory of Jamie Dearing Lamb

Loralee Culbert in Nov. 2011 – In memory of Dr. Dorothy L. Lewis

Kevin Neel in May of 2012 – In memory of Alice Peters

Dr. Matthew Middleton in Sept. 2012 – In memory of Dr. Wil Greckel

David C. Sims in May 2013 – In memory of Frances Neeld Quinn

Dr. Kevin Vaughn - November 2013 – In memory of Della Mae Dorsey

John Paul Buckel in June 2014 – In memory of Jennie Gebhart Hedden

Mathew Gerhard in Sept. 2014 – In memory of Nancy Jane Lafollette

Dr. Collin Richardson in May 2015 –

In memory of Horace Wesley Cutler

Nicholas Quardokus in September 2015 –

In memory of Brian “Slick” Anderson

Mitchell Miller in May 2016 – In memory of Susan Elizabeth Hedden

Stephen Kucera in September 2016 – In memory of Jane Hagmann

Carolyn Craig in May 2017 – In memory of Dorothy & Robert Carter

Greg Zelek in October 2017 – In memory of Ovid “Bud” Chambers

J.J. Mitchell in May 2018 – in memory of Michael “Mick” Neely

Katie Burke in November 2018 – in memory of Dorice Conner Roberts

Jillian Gardner in May 2019 – in memory of Lorraine Lang Allen

Vincent Carr in September 2019 – in memory of Floris Seabrook

Andrew Johnson in August 2020 – in memory of Ethel Dunn

The Concert this evening is presented in memory of

 

ETHEL UTRECHT DUNN

1910—2014

Ethel Dunn died June 8, 2014 at age 103 years and 9 months. She is survived by her daughter Peggy Jetta, 2 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband of 59 years, Roger Dunn.

She was a life-long resident of New Albany. Along with being a private piano and organ teacher, she was also organist/choir director at nearly every church in New Albany, including St Marks United Church of Christ. She also served as organist at First Christian church in Louisville. She served as organist for Dieckmann Funeral Home for 52 years. She was a life-long member of DePauw Memorial United Methodist Church, and was a faithful participant in Jennie Gephart Hedden Music Club since 1952.

She was active and in good health until her late nineties, serving as organist at Park Christian at the age of 93. Living at Westminster Village, she entertained fellow residents on the piano and organ.

She inspired an endless line of students, choir members, and church congregations with her talent, love of music, and devotion to God.

Our Guest Artist

Andrew Johnson shows breadth and depth of skill as organist, pianist, vocalist, conductor, and composer. He recently graduated summa cum laude with the Bachelor of Music from Illinois Wesleyan University, where primary teachers were Susan Klotzbach for organ and J. Scott Ferguson for voice and choral conducting. While a student, Andrew served as Accompanist and Assistant Conductor for the University Choir. He also toured the globe as Bass Section Leader of the IWU Collegiate Choir with performances in Canada, Poland, South Africa, and across the United States.

Andrew was the first organ finalist in the history of the IWU Symphony Orchestra’s Concerto/Aria Competition in 2018. The IWU music faculty named him “Presser Scholar” and in 2020 he was awarded Research Honors in Music for his paper, Suite Médiévale: A Guide for Interpretation and Performance. In the summer of 2019, he participated in Peabody’s organ tour of Paris where he studied privately with Marie-Louise Langlais.

Andrew has served as church musician for several congregations across Central Illinois. His most recent position was Organist and Chancel Choir Director at Wesley United Methodist Church in Bloomington, IL where he played and conducted weekly services and special events. He enjoyed collaborating with the church’s other ensembles and presenting many of his own compositions in worship.

As an active member of the American Guild of Organists, he earned the Service Playing Certificate in 2018 and has served as member of the National Committee for Career Development and Support since 2019.

In the fall of 2020, Andrew will pursue the Master of Music in Organ Performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. He was awarded the Graduate Assistantship in Ear Training and will study with Dr. Daniel Aune. Andrew is eager to continue his music education and pursue the vast musical opportunities available to him.

Please plan to join us for future programs in the

Soaring Eagle Emerging Artist in Organ Series in 2020-21

Tuesday, September 22, 2020 at 7:00 p.m.

Brendan Conner, IU Jacobs School of Music, Bloomington, IN

Sunday, May 16, 2021 at 3:00 p.m.

Grant Holcomb, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY

St. John Presbyterian Church

Soaring Eagle “Emerging” Artist Concert

Friday, August 14, 2020 - 7:00 p.m.

Andrew Johnson, organ & voice

Suite Médiévale, Op. 56 Jean Langlais

I.Prélude (Entrée) (1907-1991)

II. Tiento (Offertoire)

III. Improvisation (Élevation)

IV. Méditation (Communion)

V. Acclamations

Choral III in A minor, FVW 40 César Franck

(1822-1890)

Lord God of Abraham (from Elijah) Felix Mendelssohn

(1809-1847)

Biblické pisne, Op. 99 Antonin Dvorák

X. Zpivejte Hospodinu pisen novou (1841-1904)

Präludium und Fuge H-Moll, BWV 544 Johann Sebastian Bach

(1685-1750)

Partita on Aurelia Andrew Johnson

I. Chorale (b. 1998)

II. Intermezzo

III. Waltz

IV. Toccata

Première Symphonie, Louis Vierne

VI. Final (1870-1937)

St. John Presbyterian Church

Hook & Hastings Pipe Organ, Opus 1126 (1883)

Aeolian-Skinner Pipe Organ, Opus 1039 (1942)

Great Organ Swell Organ Choir Organ

Bourdon 16 * Diapason 8 * Nason Flute 8

Principal 8 + Stopped Diapason 8 * Dulciana 8 *

Melodia 8 * Viola d’gamba 8 * Flauto Traverso 4 *

Gemshorn 8 Voix Celeste 8 * Flautino 2 *

Octave 4 * Gemshorn 4 Larigot 1 1/3 +

Flachflote 2 + Plein Jeu III * Clarinet 8

Grave Mixture II * Trumpet 8 Chimes +

Contra Fagotto 16 + Tremolo Tremolo

Fagotto 8 +

Chimes + Pedal Organ Contra Bourdon 32 +

Belles de la Joie + Principal 16 Bourdon 16

Octave 8 Flute 8

Choral Bass 4 + Fagotto 8 +

Contra Fagotto 16 + Klarine 4 +

* Original Hook & Hastings Pipework

The organ was originally built in 1883 by the Hook and Hastings Organ Company of Boston and was installed in New Albany’s Second Presbyterian Church on Main Street. When the Second Presbyterian congregation built their new building on Elm Street in 1890, the organ was moved to the new building. When Second Presbyterian Church merged with Third Presbyterian Church in 1942, the organ was totally rebuilt and enlarged by the Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company of Boston. The Fagotto stop was added by the Miller Pipe Organ Company of Louisville in 1979, and in 1984 the Miller Company was contracted to rebuild the console. The chimes were added in 1987 and the deteriorating façade pipes were replaced in 1996. The most recent addition, in 2009, was the “Belles de la Joie” Zimbelstern, created and installed in memory of Jane Anderson, Elizabeth “Bebe” Cody, & Stuart Wrege

+ Added by Miller Pipe Organ Co. in 1979 or later

The “Belles de la Joie” ring to honor the memory of our three Barth “Belles,”

Jane Anderson, Elizabeth “Bebe” Cody, & Stuart Wrege,

for their many years of dedicated service and enthusiastic support

of the music program at St. John Presbyterian Church.

St John Presbyterian Church, 1307 E. Elm Street, New Albany, IN

Rev. C. Allen Colwell, pastor - - - Dr. Charlie Mitchell, director of music

Creative Programming with a Small Budget

A Lexington AGO Best Practice

Celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2020, the Lexington Chapter of the AGO operates on a fairly small budget, comparatively speaking, than many of the larger chapters. The Lexington Chapter has found great success in offering social events and other creative programming that utilize the skills and gifts of our members, that have had little to no cost to the chapter, allowing us to have a program at least once a month. The Lexington chapter covers nearly half the state of Kentucky in membership, which makes it difficult for many of our out-of-town members to regularly join us. However, we are still able to get anywhere from 15 to 30 of our members at these special events.

These include:

Members Recital: The Lexington chapter typically has at least one Members Recital per program year. Chapter members can sign up for a seven-minute time slot to play a few favorite pieces. There is usually a suggested donation to support the chapters work. Donations typically go towards sponsoring a Pedals, Pipes, and Pizza event, or goes towards POE Scholarships. Attendance at these events have been stellar. At the last member recital, the host church’s choir had a pie bake-off, and so everyone enjoyed pie and refreshments after the program.

Demonstration of a Music Library Software: by a Lexington organist and member of our Chapter’s Executive Committee. This event was well attended as one of our members gave a wonderful presentation and demonstration of her go-to music library software. The presentation was preceded by a potluck dinner in the fellowship hall of the church, which gave members time to catch up and spend time with one another.

Twelfth Night Dinner: hosted by a former Dean at his home on the Saturday closest to Epiphany. We offer finger foods and drinks with no formal program, just a time for members to visit with each other and relax after a busy advent and Christmas season. This has attracted quite a few members who typically do not attend workshop events, allowing them to meet some of the newer members in the chapter.

Used Music Sale: where members and chapter friends donated old music they no longer use. Most music is priced at $5 or less. A potluck lunch occurs either before or after the music sale. Guests were invited and many non-members were able to browse the music and most importantly, become acquainted with the Lexington AGO. The money raised from the sale went towards producing the chapter’s 2016 POE.

Video Conferences with a Long-distance Member: One of our most unique programs we had was hosting a video conference with a former Lexington organist and current organist/choirmaster at the Christ Church Transitional Cathedral in New Zealand. Through Skype, we got a tour of the church, choir program, and organ. We included a potluck dinner before the video conference. This fun event was able to reconnect chapter members with a good friend and dear colleague.

Lunch and Learn: Three chapter members have given 30-minute discussions as subject matter experts regarding recording technology, emergency organ maintenance, and professional standards. A catered lunch followed each presentation. We also included an organ/choral reading session in the afternoon. This program not only allowed chapter members to share their unique skill sets, it was our best attended program of the 2018-2019 program year, with approximately 35 people in attendance, including several guests new to the AGO.

Mardi Gras Dinner. This event was designed as a gathering to welcome our new January Jubilee members who we received the previous month and to celebrate a successful event. It held at a local Cajun restaurant. This themed event attracted new members to attend the dinner, including one who later became the current treasurer of the chapter.

The Lexington Chapter has found that by putting an emphasis on the community aspect of things by providing social and fellowship time, as well as welcoming new members in the best way possible, that the music and a healthy chapter membership will stem from that.

Chapter Calling Committees

Many lessons have been learned through the season of confinement, or "Covidtide," in pseudo-liturgical terms. Mostly, we have become keenly aware of how important human connections are to us; of how much we cherish and miss each other. Emails, social media posts, newsletters, and website announcements are important means of communication, but they do not forge relationships that are vital to our Guild.

Prior to the electronic media boom, many chapters, including my own, maintained a calling committee: volunteers who monthly invited each member to the upcoming meeting, and occasionally took reservations for an accompanying meal. Today many chapters, including my own, have permitted this personal touch to fade away, resorting instead to online announcements and reservation systems.

David Lamb, our National Councillor for Membership, has inspired Guild leadership with the motto, "seek, encourage, and respect--one person at a time." Chapter calling committees do just that, one person at a time. People are more likely to participate in chapter events when they are personally invited and made to feel wanted. A telephone call costs the chapter nothing and takes little time--when the task is shared--yet the return is great.

In April of 2020, AGO staff and volunteers kicked off the Member Care Initiative--a pyramidal plan to reach out to every Guild member by phone. This noble effort seeks to combat feelings of isolation at the present time. These member to member connections, however, need not--should not--end with the disappearance of the pandemic.

Let's use the current crisis to renew an old, but healthy, habit of verbal communication between members. In the words of Mr. Rogers, "our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is." A telephone committee can turn a chapter into a neighborhood, one person at a time.

Creating a Welcoming Culture Within Our AGO Chapters

Judy Kohl, June 2020

Having experienced the dynamics of our local AGO Chapter programs, as Dean, it became one of my priorities to try to change the culture of our chapter. Though it was obvious some people shared a friendship, the majority of people came and went without much interaction with those around them.

Creating a welcoming culture has become a priority for our board, and the overarching theme not only in our programing, but in all our communication with chapter members.

Can you hear Tom Bodett’s welcoming voice in the Motel 6 commercials, “We’ll leave the light on for you.”? That is the message we try to communicate clearly. We figuratively say, “We’ll save a seat for you,” and encourage each other to reach out to someone and do just that.

The former Prime Minister of England, Theresa May, appointed a Minister of Loneliness to her cabinet. Recently, a Forbes article suggested that loneliness may now kill more people than cancer. This is a poignant reminder that we each have many opportunities to make a difference.

What better community to do this than with friends who mutually love the Organ.

In the busyness of life, it is easy to make the decision to skip a chapter event. We see the trend of decreasing AGO membership. I recently read that these days people tend to stay connected to organizations or other individuals only as long as they are meeting one’s needs at an acceptable cost to that person. In other words, when the benefit diminishes or we don’t feel a personal connection, we “cut our losses” and drop the relationship.

Within AGO, this could mean gradually making the decision to not attend chapter programs or even ultimately dropping membership altogether.

That personal touch is vital to the success of a connection. This is true at

any age, but especially with the AGOYO generation. In general, those under 30 years of age are keenly aware of time and the value of money, They are more discriminating when it comes to spending either of those. More and more, if our chapter members don’t feel valued and connected, they will find another place that meets that need.

We find people come alone to chapter events – even social programs designed to help us get to know each other. We have been encouraging members to bring their families, so we can not only get to know the members, but also those they love.

This is why every monthly newsletter touches on these thoughts,

every program creates an opportunity to mingle over

refreshments, and the members at large are encouraged to practice hospitality with each other. Perhaps this means offering to pick someone up for a musical event, noticing when someone is going through a challenging time, or just giving a warm smile as they pass someone in the pew.

These are the little things that have gradually begun to change the culture of our chapter and show our members, “There will always be a seat at the table for you”.

San Diego Chapter Best Practices

The foundations of our chapter’s best practices are, in the words of our Dean, Chris Cook:

• identifying who our chapter is

• identifying what is working

• identifying what could be better

• working to ensure that everyone feels welcome and included.

What works…and what could be better:

For many years our chapter had very standard operating procedures, with the traditional offices and six members-at-large. Members-at-large, though often eager to be involved in the beginning, often drifted away over time because they had no defined roles or responsibilities.

We totally revised our Chapter Operating Procedures several years ago and eliminated the members-at-large completely, replacing them with positions that had defined roles and responsibilities. In addition to having a Dean, Sub-Dean, Secretary, Treasurer, and Registrar, we have the following:

MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR

The Membership Coordinator is responsible for activities focused on recruiting and retaining chapter members. Responsibilities include:

• Developing and administering a process for identifying and recruiting new members

• Serving as key contact person for organists who are not currently members

• Setting the standards for hospitality and teaching them to others

• Sending prospective members information on membership categories and

membership benefits and assisting them as needed in joining via ONCARD

HOSPITALITY COORDINATOR

The Hospitality Coordinator is responsible for creating a welcoming environment at all Chapter events. Responsibilities include:

• Ensuring that all chapter members and guests are welcomed cordially at meetings and integrated seamlessly into the fabric of the chapter

• Organizing receptions and meals as requested

CHAPTER LIFE COORDINATOR

The Chapter Life Coordinator shares stories and significant events from the lives of chapter members. Responsibilities include:

• Listing birthdays, retirements, deaths, and other significant events in the Chapter newsletter

• Interviewing new members and providing short biographical sketches of them to the Newsletter Editor

• Encouraging members to share stories and anecdotes from their careers

• Keeping copies of all Chapter programs and any Chapter publications

NEWSLETTER EDITOR/WEBMASTER

The Editor of the Chapter Newsletter/Webmaster is responsible for gathering and

publishing all necessary items and information for the benefit of the members of the Chapter and maintaining the Chapter website.

EDUCATION COORDINATOR

The Education Coordinator serves as Director of the Education Committee and is responsible for planning the annual program of student activities for the Chapter, including the annual scholarship auditions and student recitals, as well as maintaining a collection of available used music and organ shoes for organ students and new organists.

PLACEMENT COORDINATOR

The placement coordinator is responsible for maintaining a current list of positions available for church and synagogue musicians and publicizing that list to all Chapter members on a regular basis.

Identifying what works – and what could be better:

Identifying what is working in our chapter - and what could be better - means talking with ALL of our members, not just those who regularly attend chapter events, and getting to know them. We’ve done this through focus groups, reaching out to organists in our area who are not yet members, and meeting for one-on-one get-togethers for coffee or lunch with organists who aren’t yet members as well as members who have not been active. This has given people the opportunity to talk about what kinds of programs and activities they would like to have us present. One of the unique suggestions from a recent focus group was a request for a means of sharing “pieces in progress.” They were interested in sharing and discussing their work in progress on a piece, rather than waiting until it was perfected and performing it on a recital. The group felt that this would be encouraging and motivating and would show that everyone has to work to prepare new pieces.

Working to ensure that everyone feels welcome and included:

I’ve been an AGO member since my college days. My first church job was for a small congregation and the organ was a Conn 721 2-manual electronic instrument. Digital organs hadn’t yet been developed! I found that others looked down on the instrument – and me for playing it – and learned quickly that when asked “what kind of organ does your church have?” the best response was “it’s a small two-manual” followed by a change of subject. I’m thankful that the Guild is more inclusive now – but we still have room to grow. Ensuring that everyone feels welcome, included, and valued means:

• Inviting new people into our conversations at events, rather than staying in groups with our friends

• Respecting and welcoming everyone, regardless of what kind of organ they play, how large their music program is, whether they are paid or volunteers, or what music degree they have (or don’t have!)

• Learning what those new to you are interested in, working on, or struggling with, and what they have to share

• Using our newsletter and social media to showcase member performances, life events, and achievements, as well as providing resources for members

Jane Silber, former CEO of Canonical Ltd., said “The difference between diversity and inclusion is the difference between being invited to a house and being able to rearrange the furniture.”

For our chapter, that means encouraging new people to get involved in small ways and recognizing that everyone has knowledge and gifts to share. It’s our job as chapter leaders and members to get to know everyone, to find out what their interests and gifts are, and to celebrate those gifts and encourage them to use them.

Comedian Bill Crawford said “Diversity, or the state of being different, isn’t the same as inclusion. One is a description of what is, while the other describes a style of interaction essential to effective teams and organizations.”

As leaders in our chapters, we need to set an example of respect, welcome, and inclusion. To quote Bill Crawford again: “Leaders should interact with everyone in their organization as if the interaction was being recorded and used as a training film on how to treat colleagues, coworkers, and customers.”

Leslie Wolf Robb

AGO Task Force on Member Inclusivity

lesliewolfrobb@

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