Were you and the other one or two pianists/organists/keyboarders in the ward expected to carry the full load of musical playing & accompanying, i.e. sacrament meeting, choir, Primary, RS, special numbers, and special occasions (baptisms, funerals)?

Were you fine to do this, or did you feel forced to use your talent in ways that were not enjoyable to you?

Did you ever have a non-piano/organ-playing calling?

Ha!
I was twelve when I was called as our ward organist. TWELVE. I had just joined Beehives. We had plenty of pianists in our ward, but because I was classically trained and able to play the hymns blindfolded with one hand, the bishop decided to make an example of me. Every week he'd thank me for my service, and talk about how God delighted in the children, in daughters of God, how he had filled me with faith so I could complete this calling.

I was also called as the Relief Society pianist at fourteen and held both callings for years.

I wasn't released from my callings until I was nineteen, and the bishop wanted to move me to the singles ward. Seven years I was the organist.

Yeah, when former members like to tell me I didn't work hard enough for my faith, didn't invest enough into the church--I just laugh. Because how could I have possibly spent more effort or time when as a teenager I held two HUGE callings?

Hahahaha! The lord filled you with faith so you could play the organ! Because, let's face it, your countless hours of practice, discipline, and effort had nothing to do with it!

my son was called to take piano LESSONS when he was 13. Apparently the only boy in all the priesthood quorums who could play piano was the bishop's son and that boy was sick of playing all the time. So the bishop decided to call several boys to learn to play the piano to give his son a break. My son was supposed to arrive 1/2 hr early to YM with another boy who had also been called and an elderly man who played the piano was going to teach them to play simple hymns.

When the 2nd counselor called about this, he told me about the calling first. I replied that the counselor could ASK my son but that my son probably wouldn't do it. I tried to talk my son into piano for years and finally gave up and signed him up for guitar when he was 10. He still hates the piano, although he now plays guitar very well, and has learned to play another instrument in the band too. I was pretty sure my son would say no to this "calling". The counselor sternly admonished me that this was a calling and they were only telling me about it prior to extending the calling out of courtesy. That really pissed me off.

Anyway, son didn't have the nerve to say no, went to a couple of lessons, refused to practice, skipped half the lessons that were scheduled and pretty soon the old man teaching got fed up with both the boys and quit, letting son off the hook. Of course, son got full support from me in blowing off this ridiculous calling I knew he'd hate, which helped my son but not the Mormons.

I was called as Jr Sunday School organist at an early age I don't remember--8 or 9 or so. Did the job until I was 12 when I too, was called as Ward Organist.

At that point in my life I loved the attention and the validation I was getting from performing every Sunday, filling the role of musical wunderkindt. Meanwhile the seed of apostasy was already growing within me, and when I left for college at age 18, I left the church forever. That was more than 40 years ago.

I was called as YW pianist. I needed to practice the hymns or I'd make mistakes and get ridiculed. Every week they would changed the program last minute without telling me, choosing obscure hymns I had never heard before. Hated, hated, hated it. Did it for about a year before finally telling them to f*** off and let them sing acappella.

vhainya Wrote:
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> Every week they would changed the program last
> minute without telling me, choosing obscure hymns
> I had never heard before.

This is very typical. I was an organist for several wards. (I moved quite a bit) They would typically change hymns last minute without warning and without asking the organist.

I had no problem adjusting, but what they don't realize that many people need at least a week to practice the pieces, that is why they need to let them know ahead of time. I even had a ward where the chorister was a crazy lady that would change her mind literally mid-meeting. She would get up and say "I know it says we are going to sing this, but instead we are going to sing that". Boy it sure was a surprise to me as I sat there flipping through the hymn book.

I actually enjoyed my calling as the ward organist. It was much better than having to sit in boring meetings all morning, and I got to liven the place up a bit with my up-tempo interpretations.

What used to frustrate me is how dead Mormon congregations are musically. They expect you to play like you are at a funeral every Sunday. I ignored the bishop and the chorister and just played at my own tempo as I saw fit.

Every week, I just wanted to stop playing for a minute, walk up to the microphone and say "WAKE UP, WILL YOU PEOPLE?"

There were times when there was a line crossed in expectations, but what I found most frustrating is how you are expected to only play the church hymns.

There is nothing more uninspiring than restricting an artist to a small green box.

Even as a TBM, I found this insulting and did everything I could to counter it to try to open people's eyes. I was able to squeeze such edgy and hard rock song like "you raise me up" and "O holy night".

In my singles ward there were 3 or 4 of us that were able to play the piano, and we rotated for sacrament meetings, so we only had to play once every couple weeks or so (unless one was sick, out of town, etc.) I actually enjoyed it, because I enjoy playing, and it gave me a chance to share my talent. The person in charge of music for sacrament meeting was good about giving me at least a few days advanced notice, and often a week, of what pieces to play, so I was able to practice them in advance. I was the only one in the elders quorum that could play, so I had to play for that meeting every week. They didn't give me advanced notice on the songs, but they seemed to sing the same half dozen or so songs repeatedly, so it wasn't much of a problem anyway.

It's like I was the only one in the ward who knew how to play an instrument. I hadn't had a piano in my home since I was about 16, so it was very difficult for me to learn the hymns. Often I would play them with one finger. But they kept calling me up there, because autopilot god says we need an accompanist for everything. I would play in Sunday School, Priesthood, and sometimes they would hustle me into Primary to play for a little while. I used to just go into a meeting and sit at the piano. I usually played "We Thank Thee O God For A Prophet" for everything.

We had the son of the great Alexander Shriner in our ward in Minnesota, and he was "less active." He was a magnificent organist, and would occasionally grace us with his presence - only so that he could sit in the congregation while I play with one finger. Then he'd come up afterward and tell me I need to practice. Douche bag.

Mormon leaders have an incredible entitlement attitude toward musical people, and they treat them like they're computer nerds or maybe one of the youth. "Hey Mak, could you come up here and tickle the ivories for us?" "Yes bishop, and just for you I might even use BOTH my index fingers." At what point would they get the hint that I can't play the song and stop embarrassing me in every meeting? I've heard other stories of organists getting browbeaten by tin hat leaders like they were sinning for playing Bach or Mozart as prelude music.

My father had the best out. Dad plays, but only by ear and mostly ragtime music and early 1950s rock & roll. When he was asked, he would say: "I would love to play, but unfortunately I don't read music. Also, the kind of music I play makes people want to drink beer and eat pizza, and seeing as how this is Fast Sunday..." "Err.. thank you! Perhaps we'll just sing acapella this time."

I was only called for a year or two in YW. I hated it.
I had been reluctantly learning from my grandmother, who had a pool I couldn't swim in if I wasn't taking lessons.
I think maybe it was all a big set up. Lots of lessons about not hiding your light.
She didn't teach much fingerwork exercises or theory, just lots of practice and repetition.
I learned more theory in my first year of high school jazz band than all my piano lessons combined, and I had been taking lessons since I was five!

At first I was interested to have a calling that wasn't secretary, but soon came to hate the embarrassment. At least they let me pick the songs as I pleased.
But soon it got old real quick since I didn't like church anyway. So I played we thank thee oh god for a profit every other week. Teenage girls don't hide their disgust at all. Which did I prefer? Their snickers when I stumbled through less practiced songs, or annoyance at singing "that song again"?

Well... neither! I found the guts to get my mom to ask to have me released.

Two or three weeks later my replacement begged me to take back over. LOL!
I asked her why she thought I asked to be released and laughed. I was beginning to see the light about the church, but I was also a selfish teen.

But looking back on it, I can hardly believe it. I have a couple of children who get paid for their Sunday service (musically) now (in other churches, obviously) and I figured it out (according to what they make) and I can't remember for sure, but it was in the couple of HUNDRED of thousands of dollars I have given up by doing it all for free.

I played for weddings, funerals, baptisms.

I was asked to play for members who were singing in concerts and school functions and contests. I never even thought to ask for money, and I'm sure they would have been shocked if I had.

(I'm not counting that last bit in the total of the money I'd have received from church music.)

Did you know that "Children's Music" is a paid job in most churches. And it pays well for the time spent.

I had been playing keyboards for about a year when this happened.
Myself, one of the bishopric and a couple of other people were in one of the rooms of the chapel having a chat. I think it was a ward fireside night.
I had a go on the piano and played this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADJXq3ixXV8

and was told to stop after a few seconds because it was 'irreverent'. Tone deaf B**tards!

Don't want to make myself out to be a virtuoso or anything! The bit I played in that clip is about 31 seconds in.

This post is in reference to my last on this thread.

I don't consider myself very talented in playing the piano, but I was the primary pianist for quite a while in high school--when we still have the split schedule and I had to hurry there after school. I also played for mutual for all the years I was in. I played in the singles' ward, too--but had to play the organ--which I wasn't good at. We also rotated in the singles' ward so I only had to play once a month.

Was it just because we didn't dare say no? There were others who were much better at it than I and they didn't get used.

We had a young man who from primary age up, was a phenomenal piano player and by the time he was in high school, he was playing for theatre productions, and back up for musical numbers in Sacrament meeting, when I had to conduct a funeral at the local funeral home his dad made him come along and play their organ. It was really getting out of hand, everyone wanted him to do this or that, and of course you never say no to church duties...

So when he was called as the church organist at the ripe old age of 18, it was my duty to set him apart. When we were done, I saw the look in his mothers eye and I knew that despite being honored with a call tyo use his talents for the lord, I should have told him while my hands were on his head that it is okay to say no when you are overtaxed.

I always regretted failing to tell him that.

used? Definitely underappreciated. Disrespected. I wanted to be an organist since I was eight. I enjoyed five years as "assistant organist" when I was a teenager. The organist split up duties and gave me the first two weeks of the month. But because I was so young, they denied me access to the church building. I was supposed to borrow the keys from the organist all the time. No way. So I didn't practice. I did a decent enough job even so. Pretty good for an amateur pianist and self-taught organist.

For a six month period, the organist was recuperating from a broken ankle. I had my chance to demand keys to the church, since I was the only able-bodied organist in the ward. But my low self-esteem kept me from standing up for myself.

Now, 30+ years later, I have my own 60-rank classical organ at home. It's 10 times better than the crap organs they put in LDS chapels. I'm learning lots of Bach pieces and really enjoying it, on my own terms!

60-rank classical organ?

For the more skilled players: Didn't you find LDS music BORING? I mean, even I, a self-taught keyboard player at about grade 5 level on piano find none of the hymns particularly difficult to play. And most are in a major key.

They claim this is Gods church. God, the entity who created everything. Yet, when it comes to music the 'restored' church hasn't produced any Beethovens, Bachs, Mozarts, Hendrixes (Hendri?) or any number of world changing composers.

Except the Osmonds!lol!

It makes me sick that musicians are treated this way by the church, but on the other hand; why should they be treated any differently? (from the church's perspective at least)

Agreed with most hymns being mind-numbingly easy. I think the only one's I couldn't sight-read almost perfectly were "If You Could Hie To Kolob" and "The First Noel". But whenever me and my friend (who happened to be very musical and a good singer) would get bored of Sacrament meeting and play/sing the hymns in minor keys. It was good practice for me as well to sight-read and then transpose the piece on a first try. Some were a lot more difficult than others...

Anyway...

I was called to be Priesthood Pianist at around 13 years old or so, and I loved it. I loved getting praise for playing well, so I was cool with it. Me and a girl who i kind of had a thing for were the only 2 musical youth, so we were constantly leaving Sunday School early so we could 'practice' our duet pieces for Sacrament Meeting. My dad happened to be our teacher, and he KNEW neither of us needed to practice so he would always get kind of upset! XD

"Hendrices".

mateo Wrote:
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> "Hendrices".


Of course! I should've known that!

Anyhoo, carry on...

I wasn't a proper pianist-- I play a little, but it's not my primary instrument. But I was as close as it got in our ward for a while. I enjoyed that calling thoroughly because it gave me a structure to build my progress around for a while. I really enjoyed being the primary pianist when I was a teenager. The kids were crazy and I had a good time with them.

Now the arrangements in the hymnbook and primary songbook are about as lame as can be, but I wouldn't have been able to play anything fancy when I started anyway. It was nice to have accessible arrangements and be able to do a good job despite my limitations.

I did feel used when I kept getting called as the ward chorister. It always struck me as a job nobody wanted to do (least of all me), plus no one but the organist really pays attention anyway. Plus, I'm a performer anyway but I'm not someone who gets off on being in front of people. It was lame to have to be "on" at church every week. It was a tough calling to get out of too-- I served in it for a year while I was a total nonbeliever before I had the gumption to tell the bishop I was done. Sometimes I wondered if they called me on purpose to get me to come to church regularly, because I had been "less active" for a while due to performance engagements regionally.

I think ward music callings are probably best thought of as developmental opportunities and left to people who are interested in them for those reasons. Otherwise they're not particularly rewarding.

I REFUSED to ever be the chorister.

Just this past Saturday night, my TBM daughter was staying here with me and she got a call from somebody from her singles' ward who told her because of something (she is like compassionate service leader--not really sure though), she had to be the chorister in R.S. the next day. My daughter was not active in the LDS church from about age 8 to age 21. This blew her mind--that they would just call her up and make her do this. She has no experience whatsoever. I never did get the followup on what transpired, but she was NOT HAPPY. She is moving out of state the end of December. She can't wait to get away from the Utah mormons again. She hates the mormon attitude--but still hasn't quite put 2 and 2 together. (She spends summers in Alaska, so has had a break from Utah mormons so does see the difference.)

On my mission we were living in a members home. They had a real cheap small organ. An elder showed me what note went to what key. I did want to play. So I tried when ever I could.
I came home and when I moved on my own I bought an antique pump organ. I never had any music lessons. I knew about two hymns. So I end up playing in Priesthood. I was the best they had. That was not saying much. I ended up having one year organ lessons. I was hard but fun in some ways. I would have to go to the chapel to work on the bass peddles. My organ I have to pump the bellows. I worked hard at it just to make a fool out of my self. I played off and on for about five and one half years. I played about 98 hymns for singing. I only had to skip the peddles on one hymn.
In the old hymn book it was a lot of sharps and flats. I was great with flats. I turned the sharps to flats. The new book 25 years ago blew me away. If I had stayed I would have had to learn all new keys. I have been gone for many years.
I think the only reason I played I was about the only one who knew how to turn on the organ.
I was easy so me to loose my place. I just learned to play has loud has I could and change the stops to fit the hymns. I could get them to sing really well most of the time.

most of my adult years, and there were enough other pianists/organists that I didn't get stuck playing for everything.

But I did play a lot. Once in a while, I think of all the musical services I gave away for free and it kind of bugs me, as music IS my profession (and not a very high paying one BTW). But if I hadn't been playing piano, I would have had to do some OTHER calling for free, and it would have taken more work.

Something people might not know:

BYU required ALL piano majors to take one semester of group organ, and one semester of private organ lessons. And they freely told us it was because there was a shortage of organists in the church. So . . . they required us to pay tuition and private instruction fees, practice organ an hour a day (in ADDITION to our 4 hours of piano practice and whatever OTHER practice we had to do) in anticipation of the day when we would donate our skills for their use. How sweet.

For them.

Yeah, not only does God hand us a talent on a silver platter--but we have a RESPONSIBILITY to use that talent--as in the "parable of the talents." I tried to tell people that with me it was all just hard work--no talent here.

They made me sing, too. If I had talented fingers, my vocal chords must be talented also. Makes sense? I led several choirs, because I did understand music, and knew how to put life and feeling into it, but it was humiliating for me to have to sing people's parts while I was teaching them.

My pet peeve was people calling me all the time to accompany them in sacrament meetings. That meant rehearsals--and they always wanted plenty--usually Saturdays when I wanted to be with my children, and early Sunday, before meeting, when I needed to make breakfast and get the kids ready for church. (I was a working single mother)

My worst pet peeve was people calling me at the last minute, though. It was like, "Since you're going to be there playing the organ ANYWAY, you might as well walk over to the piano and accompany us." I was just some kind of robot, so just sit me on the right bench....

I used to love the piano, otherwise I would not have taken private lessons from the age of 5 all through BYU and graduate school. I never wanted to be an organist, because the piano was part of me, and I was a perfectionist, and was shy about performing in a church setting up there on the stand. All the cues were musical, and I was afraid I'd miss a cue. Mormons are such a critical group.

The Mormons hounded me for years, and finally I gave in, when my husband and I moved to California, and I had an opportunity to play at the Organ Pavillion. I had my babies--and was given Hell for taking time off from church! I wanted 6 weeks maternity leave, but they would say, "It's only an hour, and you'll be sitting down. We'll watch your baby for you. You can choose the hymns." They didn't get that I needed my rest, and alone time with my family. The organ was held over my head like a bludgeon, and I started hating it. Maybe everybody gets this kind of pressure with any Mormon church job.

Our California stake house had an old, hand-crafted German organ, with exposed pipes, and the chapel was designed around the organ, with wood floors, walls, and ceilings, like a giant, ecoustal music box! I was completely enraptured by the sound of it! I couldn't believe that I was making all that beautiful music! Mozart, Handel, and Bach fugues when I got good. I had a key to this heaven, and we lived only a block away. When the kids were asleep, I would put a skirt on over my shorts or pants, and practice--no, play--until time got away from me, and it would be 2:00 am.

When the church "discouraged" the greats, and prelude/postlude music from other churches, that's when the music died.

We moved to Utah, and I was organist again for many years. Our new ward was happy to see me, but the joy was gone. Sometime's I'd play disguised Beatles songs, or something with a nice melody, slowed-down and disguised. I hated-hated-hated the slowed down tempo that the choristers would insist on, like the MoTab choir (don't get me started on the MoTab). I was playing durges, plus more durges as preludes and postludes. I was Primary pianist a few times, which was a lot of laughs--but those songs are brainwashing. My most hated job was RS pianist. I had to listen to all those repetitive lessons about "honoring the priesthood," and I was divorced.

The upside was--I was popular! My phone rang off the hook! I was needed! I got invited to all the Christmas parties, to play carols. I went to weddings, funerals, fashion shows, road shows. A couple of Mormon prima donnas asked me to come to their Mcmansions, and accompany them on their grand pianos while they practiced their singing--for FREE. (I said no) A Mormon barbershop quartet wanted me to practice with them for free, one evening a week (no). People always wanted me to arrange and transpose music for them. I didn't have a computer program, so I'd write it out by hand. I was also required, as stake organist, to teach other pianists to play the organ. They kept moving away, and there was definitely a shortage of organists.

I played for my kids' schools, which I actually enjoyed, because my children were a part of the productions. That was different. I was working with professionals.

I always felt that the only reason the Mormons liked me was because I played the piano. When I left, they love-bombed and harrassed me fiercely, and not one of them is my friend today.

FWIW, since I left the cult 6 years ago, I hardly touch the piano anymore, and haven't played the organ at all.

Maybe I shouldn't complain. They made all the other music majors take at least 3 semesters of piano, and a lot of them REALLY hated that.

Ahhh, but I won out over the organ lessons. They never got to use me as ward ORGANIST.

My passion was for the piano. I had limited time to practice and I wasn't interested in spending it on the organ.

After my Bachelors Degree in Music (and the organ lessons), it was several years before marriage. All that time, I was meeting in BYU wards with NO organ. So sure, I was ward pianist most of the time, but I lost my organ skills.

When I finally married, and got into a family ward with an organ, they asked me to sub for the ward organist one week. They only gave me a week or so to practice, and I completely crashed and burned because I attempted the pedals but my feet just weren't comfortable with the pedals again.

For ever after, I (happily) plead incompetence, telling anyone who asked that they didn't WANT me behind the organ. I guess if they had been really short on organists I probably would have been roped into it eventually.

Funny this should come up, this problem was what led me to take my first baby steps away from the church. When I was newly married I and had just moved into the normal ward, out of the singles ward, someone found out that I had a degree in Vocal Performance (I think my nose-y TBM father in law told them, because that was something I never wanted ANYONE at church to know). Anyways within a couple of weeks I got called as the the ward choir director, which is the one calling I NEVER wanted to have and knew if word got out about my degree it would be the only one I ever got. When I was being set apart the Bish was going on and on about how inspiration for callings work Yada yada yada, then I was told that I would be expected to play the piano at certain times when needed.... wait a minute I don't play the piano, like at all. Just enough to get my passed my mandatory piano proficiency classes in college and that is it. They were shocked by this revelation, and even more shocked when I asked how hard they prayed on that one, and turned down the calling.