Fwd: BBC radio story on decline of church organists

[Karl Moyer]

Hmmm.

There may be lots of good points in this nine-minute broadcast out of England.   However, I also continue to believe that part of our problem is the great decline in the numbers of youngsters of elementary-school age who take piano lessons.  While I’m all for athletics and physical fitness, etc., I fear that the “draw” of youth sports, often “pushed” by parents who did sports also to the exclusion of many other youth pursuits OR in some cases who were not able to do sports and thus urge their youngsters into sports as a fulfillment of the parents’ sports inactivity or failures in youth sports, too often clouds out private music study, including the piano, from kids’ lives which become far too busy and regimented and with insufficient time for valuable “free play.”  

When the raw numbers of piano students are so small, then that theoretical small percentage of piano students who take up the organ becomes an even smaller number as well in proportion.  

Our chapter plans a meeting related to this topic during the coming chapter program season that should be worth everyone’s interest and attendance.  

Karl

Begin forwarded message:

From: Craig Datz <cad...@GMAIL.COM>

Date: July 15, 2017 at 12:28:04 PM EDT

To: <PIPO...@LIST.UIOWA.EDU>

Subject: BBC radio story on decline of church organists

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p058p07q

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