Organ & Directing Taining

This week, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, Sister Hahn and I are traveling to Hsinchu to offer directing and organ seminars. Hsinchu is about 30 minutes away on the High Speed Rail (HSR). During the following weeks we will offer the same seminars in Taichung, Chunghsing, Tainan, and Kaohsiung. In those locations, we will stay over night in hotels. Last night we were well-received in Hsingchu.

There were 11 students and an interpreter in the Directing Class. They reviewed and practiced the different beat patterns with preparatory beats and cutoffs. There were also a lot of questions.

There were 13 students and an interpreter in the Organ Class. We emphasized the difference between piano playing and organ playing. Students had a chance to demonstrate the concepts I had just explained. Thursday night we will have the two groups together for the last hour to see if we can start and stop together.

We were requested to do this while the temple is closed by Elder Ran. He is a member of the Seventy and an Area Authority with responsibility for Taiwan, and he has been tasked by the Area President to improve the spirituality of sacrament meetings through music and using organ sounds in the meetings. The church provides electronic piano/organs (called Liahonas) for some chapels, like Rodrick has in his branch. Taiwan has 25, but many of the players want to use it as a piano because they are more familiar with that. So I'm trying to provide them with training and experience so that they are able and want to use the organ sounds.