Roland U.S.

Organs Abound At GMWA

by Corey Fournier

Celebrating its 40th year, the recent Gospel Music Workshop of America convention played host to some 8,000 Gospel musicians and choir members at the Disney World resort in Orlando. To help support this landmark event, Roland and Rodgers supplied a full range of organs, which were used on stages and in classrooms throughout convention. Namely, the Rodgers Trillium Masterpiece Series organ was a staple in both the intensive organ courses and the commencement ceremony following the weeklong program.

“We were gratified by the enthusiasm about the three-manual Masterpiece organ at the GMWA clinics,” says Central Music President Nelson Newby, who provided the instrument. “The Masterpiece organs built by Rodgers are extremely versatile, so they’re well suited for the GMWA curriculum, which covers a wide spectrum of traditional and contemporary Gospel music.”

One of the designers of the curriculum is Anthony L.V. Kendrick, who taught the Intermediate Organ master class at GMWA. “The GMWA has a long-standing academic tradition,” states Kendrick. "Having the Rodgers organ at GMWA adds dignity to the services and provides an authentic instrument for teaching traditional, sacred worship organ techniques.”

Kendrick has a passion for the organ program at GMWA and sees the Rodgers Masterpiece organ as an essential element. “The Masterpiece-series organ allows us to teach practical, college level skills on a state-of-the-art instrument akin to a pipe organ. Thanks to them, we can give our students hands-on, real-world instruction. For some, this will be the only time that they will be able to experience or be exposed to a fine instrument, such as the Trillium Masterpiece. Therefore, having a Rodgers classical organ is critical for the GMWA convention, for both services and master organ classes."

In addition to the three-manual Rodgers organ, Roland also provided a drawbar organ lab in which multiple students were able to learn and practice simultaneously. Deron Bell presided over the six-station lab equipped with a Roland VK-8M organ module and an Edirol PC-80 keyboard. “This is a great way to teach students how to develop both their playing skills and understanding of drawbars,” says Bell. “I can show them a technique, and they can imitate what I’m doing at the same time. Then, I can walk around and work with individual students while others continue working. There’s no other conference that offers this type of experience.”

The 2008 GMWA convention takes place August 9-15 in Nashville, TN. Plans are already under way for an even more extensive Roland and Rodgers organ lab and more opportunities for students to participate in this unique program. For more information on the 2008 conference, visit www.gmwanational.org.