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Any musician will tell you that goal attainment can require weeks, months, or even years of dedication and practice. There are strategies to prevent "lying", such as creating direct observation by submitting a recording of the practice or having your partner virtually or physically present while practice is happening. If you need to practice for a concert or recital but struggle to get to the organ regularly, an accountability partner could support your practice. [Extracted from the article]

Researchers and learning consultants Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner have studied communities of practice across multiple industries. Virtual conferences or online discussion boards can make networking easier, but the positive benefits of a community of practice (CoP) that you regularly interact with cannot be understated. Organists can find themselves working in every corner of the world - from the back-roads of rural Virginia to a Paris arrondissement. [Extracted from the article]

Adam Hockman is a practice and performance consultant on the faculty of the Heifetz International Music Institute. He applies his training in behavioral and learning science to music practice, performance, and teaching, and he writes about these subjects for different music sites and magazines. In the September 2022 installment of this column, I shared some benefits of being part of a "community of practice" (CoP) - a group of people with the same interests or passions who benefit by regularly interacting with one another. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses correcting the second-half syndrome in musical arrangements and performances in organist. The author suggests improvements in the organ music practice technique by using the learning a line a day self-instruction method. Topics include the importance of time management, and using the metronome.

The article discusses the highlights of the Southeast Regional Convention of the American Guild of Organists in Florida in June 2017. Organists who performed at the event included Bruce Xu, Andrew Clarke and Donald McCullough. Workshops at the convention focused on such topics as practice techniques and improving service playing and improvisation.

The article presents tips for organists to pursue disciplined and effective organ practice. Topics discussed include choosing a correct time for practice, planning practice sessions and listening to music more often. Topics including practicing and rehearsing the performance and being kind with regard to self-criticisms are also discussed.

The article offers tips on improvising a fugue with a countersubject. It suggests to practice with different examples, different subjects, and to alternate which hand gets the subject. Two examples are given related to improvising a fugue and starting a fugal exposition. The harmony of the entrances in a four-part fugue is demonstrated.

The author discusses the fear of majority of musicians to give more than their 50 percent for practicing and performing their music. According to the author, musicians are focused on technical precision and playing perfectly, that they do not allow themselves to play musically. For the author, playing at 50 percent or more is comfortable and likely to happen under pressure.

The author reflects on how he enjoys hearing organists search for the perfect registration when practicing a piece of music. The author believes that the human ear and neurological system enables musicians to make intricate judgments in balancing reeds and strings, how to highlight an inner voice and how to achieve a sense of pulse. The author considers this ability as a parable of a process in the soul, the search for the perfect registration that sound in the depths of humanity.

In this article, the author features her experience practicing her organ music across the globe. According to the author, she spent hundreds of hours practicing as a concert artist. She claims that she is painfully aware of the rivalry that exists between church organists and sextons. In addition, the author shares the lessons she learned from the experience.