MUSIC.
♪
[PHANTOM OF THE OPERA MUSIC]
♪
>> I REALLY LOVE THE SOUND.
IT IS VERY RICH AND FULL.
THERE IS PRETTY MUCH ENDLESS
POSSIBILITIES WITH THE
COMBINATIONS OF SOUNDS YOU CAN
MAKE.
IT CAN BE VERY GRIPPING, OR IT
CAN BE SOFT AND FLUTE-LIKE.
♪ [SOFT MUSIC]
CLERKS -- >> I JUST THOUGHT IT
WAS AN INTERESTING INSTRUMENT,
SO MUCH BIGGER, AND YOU HAVE TO
PLAY WITH YOUR FEET, TOO.
SEAN: NOAH JACOBS AND GILLIAN
CORTEAU ARE TEENS TACKLING ORGAN
LESSONS, AND FALLING IN LOVE
WITH THE MIGHTY AND COMPLICATED
INSTRUMENT.
>> WHAT'S AMAZING ABOUT IT IS,
IT'S THE KING OF INSTRUMENTS.
IT'S THE LARGEST INSTRUMENT ON
THE PLANET, BASICALLY, AND IT
CAN DO THINGS NO OTHER
INSTRUMENT CAN DO, FROM THE VERY
SOFTEST SOFTS TO THE MOST
INCREDIBLE LOUDS THAT YOU HEAR.
♪
>> I LAPTOP ABOUT THE -- I WOULD
LOVE TO TALK ABOUT THE
ROTONDANDO.
RIGHT HERE, THERE WAS A LOT OF
IT, AND IT WAS REALLY QUITE
LOVELY, BUT THEN I THINK IT GOT
LOST IN THE PEDDLE.
I THINK THE MOST EXCITING THING
ABOUT THE ORGAN IS THE DIVERSITY
OF TONE COLOR.
IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE POWER YOU
HAVE UNDER YOUR FINGERTIPS AND
TOES, YOU ESSENTIALLY HAVE AN
ENTIRE ORCHESTRA AT YOUR
FINGERTIPS WHEN YOU PLAY THE
ORCHESTRA, AND IT'S A REALLY
THRILLING THING TO DO.
SEAN: BRUCE ADAMI AND MARGARET
HARPER ARE BOTH ACCOMPLISHED
ORGANISTS WORKING ON THE
SEACOAST AND SPREADING THEIR
LOVE FOR THE INSTRUMENT THROUGH
THE YOUNG ORGANIST
COLLABORATIVE, A PROGRAM THAT
BEGAN AT ST. JOHN'S EPISCOPAL
CHURCH IN PORTSMOUTH IN 2001.
>> THE ORGAN BACK HERE IS 15
YEARS OLD AND WAS ACTUALLY THE
CATALYST FOR THE STARTING OF
YOC.
THE SUNDAY THAT THIS ORGAN WAS
DEDICATED, THE BISHOP OF NEW
HAMPSHIRE WAS HERE, AND HE
HANDED A CHECK FOR $1000 TO THE
WOMAN WHO WAS THEN THE MUSIC
DIRECTOR HERE, AND HE SAID, IT'S
YOUR JOB TO USE THIS MONEY TO
FIND YOUNG PEOPLE TO PLAY THIS.
AND THAT WAS THE START OF YOC.
SEAN: 15 YEARS LATER AND WITH
MORE THAN 100 STUDENTS IN ITS
HISTORY, THE YOC IS COMMITTED TO
SPREADING THE LOVE OF AN OFTEN
UNDERAPPRECIATED INSTRUMENT.
♪
>> FOR ME, IT IS THE ACTUAL
MUSIC AND THE CHANCE TO PLAY THE
ORGAN, AND JUST GAIN CONTROL --
AND MASTERY OF THIS INSTRUMENT.
IT IS PRETTY INCREDIBLE.
SEAN: STUDENTS AUDITION TO BE IN
THE COLLABORATIVE.
THEY MUST BE ABLE TO PLAY THE
PIANO AND READ MUSIC.
ALTHOUGH ONCE THEY'RE ACCEPTED,
THEY QUICKLY LEARN -- THIS
MASSIVE INSTRUMENT IS NO PIANO.
>> IT'S A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
WORLD FROM THE PIANO.
EXCEPT FOR THE BLACK AND WHITE
KEYS, WHICH ARE LAID OUT IN
ROUGHLY THE SAME WAY, THERE ARE
NO SIMILARITIES WHATSOEVER.
>> WHEN YOU LEARN TO PLAY THE
PIANO, YOU'RE LEARNING TO PUSH
KEYS DOWN LIKE THE ORGAN, AND
YOU'RE LEARNING TO READ MUSIC.
TWO STAFFS OF MUSIC ON THE
PIANO.
WHEN YOU GO TO THE ORGAN, IT'S
MORE COMPLICATED.
THERE IS ADDITIONAL MUSIC
READING.
THERE IS ANOTHER STAFF FOR YOUR
FEET.
THERE ARE MULTIPLE KEYBOARDS ON
THE ORGAN.
♪
SEAN: SO WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE
A PROMISING ORGAN PLAYER?
>> I WOULD SAY, ABOVE AL
CURIOSITY, BECAUSE IF YOU JUST
SORT OF TAKE WHAT YOU'RE TOLD,
YOU ONLY LEARN A LITTLE.
BUT WITH THE ORGAN, THERE IS SO
MUCH TO LEARN THAT THE ART OF
ASKING QUESTIONS IS INCREDIBLY
IMPORTANT.
SEAN: THE HARDEST PART OF THE
LEARNING CURVE, EVERYONE SEEMS
TO AGREE, IS THE FOOTWORK.
THINK PATTING YOUR HEAD, RUBBING
YOUR STOMACH, AND BALLROOM
DANCING, ALL AT THE SAME TIME.
♪
>> MOST PEOPLE GET SURPRISED BY
THE DEGREE TO WHICH YOU USE YOUR
FEET ON THIS INSTRUMENT.
IT IS REALLY VERY UNLIKE THE
PIANO IN THE NUMBER OF PEDALS WE
PLAY.
ON THE PIANO, THERE ARE THREE
PEDALS.
ON MOST ORGAN PEDAL BOARDS,
THERE ARE 32, SO IT'S ORDERS OF
MAGNITUDE MORE COMPLICATED IN
TERMS OF WHAT WE DO WITH OUR
FEET.
SEAN: THE YOC PAIRS STUDENTS
WITH TEACHERS BASED ON
GEOGRAPHY, AND THEY ARE GIVEN
FREE LESSONS FOR A YEAR.
THEY ALSO HAVE THE BENEFIT OF
MEETING OTHER KIDS WHO ARE
EXPLORING THE SAME INSTRUMENT.
>> USUALLY AT THE BEGINNING OF
THE YEAR, WE DO OUR ORGAN FIELD
TRIP, AND WE LOOK AT DIFFERENT
ORGANS.
YOU TAKE LESSONS THROUGHOUT THE
YEAR, AND AT THE END OF THE YEAR
, USUALLY IN MAY, THERE IS A
RECITAL AND EVERYONE PLAYS.
SEAN: THE AGES AND ABILITY
LEVELS WITHIN THE COLLABORATIVE
VERY GREATLY, AND THE TEACHERS
SAY THAT'S OK BY THEM -- EVERY
LESSON IS HELPING THEM REALIZE
THEIR MISSION.
>> THE COLLABORATIVE HAS A GOAL
OF INTRODUCING THE PIPE ORGAN TO
AS MANY YOUNG MUSICIANS AS WE
CAN.
AND THAT MIGHT MEAN THAT THE
STUDENT WILL WALK AWAY FROM THE
PROCESS AND A COUPLE OF YEARS,
APPRECIATING THE ORGAN, MAYBE
REALLY LIKING THE LITERATURE FOR
THE ORGAN, OR MAYBE JUST
RESPECTING THE COMPLEXITY OF THE
INSTRUMENT.
SEAN: AS FOR NOAH AND GILLIAN,
IT'S CLEAR THEIR LOVE AFFAIR
WITH THE PIPE ORGAN WON'T END
HERE.
>> I DEFINITELY WANT TO CONTINUE
PLAYING.
I DON'T KNOW IF I WILL PLAY INTO
COLLEGE, BUT WE WILL SEE.
>> I WAS ORIGINALLY STUDYING TO
BE A PIANIST IN COLLEGE, AND ONE
OF THE MAJOR SELLING POINTS FOR
ME WAS THE FACT THAT, AS AN
ORGANIST, YOU CAN GET A STABLE
JOB.
♪
SEAN: THEIR TEACHERS ARE HAPPY
TO PASS ON THEIR PASSION FOR THE
INSTRUMENT TO A YOUNGER
GENERATION.
>> DID YOU HEAR IT?
THAT GLORIOUS CRUNCH RIGHT
THERE, THE D AND E FLAT?
♪
>> YOU'RE IN CONTROL.
IT'S LIKE -- SOME PEOPLE COMPARE
IT TO FLYING A JET PLANE,
BECAUSE YOU HAVE ESSENTIALLY
LOTS OF THOSE SIMILAR KINDS OF
CONTROLS THAT YOU DO FLYING AN
AIRPLANE, AND THE ONLY
DIFFERENCE IS WE DON'T GET PAID
NEARLY AS MUCH AS PILOTS D