Organ Teaching for Children in Norway: An Educational Field in Development

Abstract

Teaching children how to play the pipe organ represents a radical revision of a well-established instrumental education field. This article provides an overview of organised teaching praxis in teaching children to play the organ, established in Norway in the early 2000s. Commentary on the limited previous research in organ teaching for children is provided, and based upon the findings in these studies and on praxis experience, areas which necessitate further research are identified. The practical teaching experience of the author provides a frame of reference throughout. Selected instrumental teaching studies related to teaching philosophies, motivation and organisational frameworks, as well as teaching materials (textbooks) are also included in the discussion. These aid in identifying areas in which potential and existing tensions in perceptions and methodologies call for study, evaluation and revision. The primary aim of this article is thus to identify and map the educational field’s structural parameters (organ schools) and praxis in Norway, and identify areas where further research is required, in order to understand how childhood introduction to organ playing may inform organ education and the organist profession in general.