Photo 1

Photo 1. Carl Dodrill holds up a Koppelflute pipe as part of his lecture on how pipe organs work.

 

Photo 2

Photo 2. Students, organizers, accompanying adults and volunteers listen attentively to Carl's talk.

 

Photo 3

Photo 3. One student examines the reed in the Vox Humana pipe she was given.

 

Photo 4

Photo 4. A stoppered flute pipe is examined to show the height of the upper lip and also to demonstrate what happens when the stopper is removed.

 

Photo 5

Photo 5. Organist David Locke plays the temporary one manual keyboard which drives the pipes on the Great main chest.

 

Photo 6

Photo 6. Students make one final pass at the refreshments table as they carry their boxes of pipes towards the door.

MINI-POE GROUP VISITS ROOSEVELT ORGAN

Carl Dodrill 04/19/09

On April 18, a one-day Pipe Organ Encounter group of teenagers visited the organ shop at Lincoln High School where the Roosevelt High School organ is being rebuilt and enlarged.  This organ day for middle school and high school students was supported by the University of Washington and the Seattle Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.  Leaders and organizers of the event were Carole Terry, David Lepse, and Douglas Cleveland, all of whom have a special interest in helping youth to learn to play the organ.  The group of teens, the organizers, and accompanying adults visited a series of impressive organs in the Seattle area during the day. Instruction and demonstration with these instruments were provided. 

As part of the day, the group came to the shop where the Roosevelt organ is being rebuilt and enlarged by volunteers under the direction of the Pipe Organ Foundation.  Since the Roosevelt organ was about 60% done at the time of the visit, the students got an excellent chance to see the inner workings of an organ. By using a temporary keyboard, seven of the ranks could be heard and played by organist David Locke and by the students themselves.  Carl Dodrill, President of the Foundation, gave a 45 minute talk on how pipe organs work.  This lecture focused on the functions of the console, the mechanism of the windchests, the purposes of the regulators, and also on the swell shades and the blower.  Illustrative written material was passed out, and actual organ parts were given the students so that they could work with them and better understand how they function. 

To create the most meaningful experience for the teens, each was provided a box with a sample of the four basic types of pipes to be found in pipe organs.  These types of pipes were as follows:  1) principals--a Diapason pipe was given to each student; 2) flutes--a stopped flue pipe served as a basis for understanding both flutes with their higher cutups and the reason why some pipes in pipe organs have stoppers; 3) strings--the importance of the bridge was emphasized; and, 4) reeds--a Vox Humana pipe provided the opportunity to identify the reed, shallot, wedge, tuning wire, block, resonator, and cap.  The students learned how to tune each type of pipe, as well as some of the characteristics of each type of pipe.

The Pipe Organ Foundation wishes the very best to these students as they start or continue their studies of learning how to play the organ.

Photos 1-6 in the left sidebar were taken by Michael Way. You can see a larger image by clicking on the small image.

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