I recently began a quest to
find the perfect pillow.
My first pillow was too hard and I woke up every morning with a sore neck.
The next pillow had a cool groove in it for neck support. I hated it.
Another pillow was so soft that it felt like my head was just laying on the bed - what's the point in even having a pillow?
There are not fewer than five rejected pillows in my closet. I'm not thrilled with the one I'm using either.
Some things just have to fit correctly - things like pillows, office chairs, and organ benches.
Organ benches?
Organ benches?
A too-low bench can cause tension because the organist has to consciously lift their feet and legs to avoid accidentally playing pedal notes during the gospel reading. If the bench is too high, they can't even reach the pedals to play them - and they risk sliding off the bench if they even try.
One way to adjust a bench's height is to put a block under it. It's hard to find blocks that are the perfect height - and stacking them is a safety hazard.
If more than one organist plays for a church service or a concert, it's awkward to remove and add blocks at the right time. There's no graceful, inconspicuous way to make the change.
St. Mark's recently hosted our Jacksonville chapter of the American Guild of Organists in a program with several organists - all of varying heights! Some wanted blocks and some didn't. The program, "A Plentitude of Preludes and Postludes" featured several local organists playing short pieces written for church services.
You can view the program here: https://youtu.be/qbccPxZ-6HQ
I'm 6'3" so I like the bench to be fairly high. I've been playing with blocks, but the ones I had were not high enough. Jane Daugherty subs on the organ frequently. She is 5'5" and prefers a bench in the middle range. Another organist who subs frequently, is Patricia DeWitt. At 5'2", she likes the bench quite low.
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In the United Kingdom, the Society of Women Organists has begun a campaign that asks churches and public venues to install adjustable benches for their organs. The SWO says that making the change will increase access for more women and for teenagers. They report that the average height of a male UK organist is 5'9", while the average height of a female organist is 5'3".
Katelyn Emerson (featured in an article by The Guardian), an international concert organist, adds that installing adjustable benches would help prevent injuries in all organists, regardless of their height.
SWO's campaign has three aims:
1. To give a voice to people who struggle to reach the pedals on a non-adjustable bench.
1. To give a voice to people who struggle to reach the pedals on a non-adjustable bench.
2. To advance and facilitate low-cost solutions for replacing or altering a fixed-height bench.
3. To work towards (their) ideal, in which the organ in every public venue suits people of all heights.
The media is getting their message out! Follow this link to find articles and radio programs.
https://www.societyofwomenorganists.co.uk/abc
https://www.societyofwomenorganists.co.uk/abc
Thanks to the St. Mark's Foundation, St. Mark's recently installed an adjustable organ bench. A simple hand crank raises or lowers the top of the bench. I couldn't be happier. Patricia DeWitt reports that it definitely helped her when she played for me recently.
Why didn't we get one at the start? Adjustable benches are expensive. At least one builder did not want to include an adjustable bench in their bid. They believed it would make their bid too high.
As I began to look for someone to build an adjustable bench, the best bid I could find was $4,000.00. Our organ technician, James Freeman was more successful. He found a bid for considerably less. Our new bench (which includes a back rest) was built by Organ Supply Industries from Erie, PA and installed on May 25th. The new bench is beautifully crafted and perfectly matches the color of the organ console.
The St. Mark's Foundation, which exists to enhance the mission outreach of St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church, generously gave us a grant to purchase the adjustable bench. Thank you to St. Mark's Foundation for their generosity! It will be a tremendous help for many years to come.
It's nice to have an adjustable bench. I haven't found the right setting yet - still looking for the "sweet spot."
Still looking for the perfect pillow too.
