Virtual Organ Academy

We are excited to announce the launch of the Virtual Organ Academy - a new resource presenting leading organists and experts in their fields in free one-hour online sessions. 

Join us for our inaugural session, The Musician's Body - Learning from Bumblebees and Interesting Things on January 25, 2025 at 12:00 PM ET presented by Donald Russell (see detailed description below).

Future sessions will include topics such as: Technique, Examination Preparation, Essential Skills for the Church Musician, Organ Basic Tuning and Troubleshooting, and Registration. Details to be released shortly.

Instructions on how to register and join the sessions will be posted here soon.

January 25: The Musician's Body - Learning from Bumblebees and Interesting Things

This presentation presents a principled basis for making decisions about organ performance and technique.  Many pedagogical works offer specific and detailed solutions and yet we know that we all differ anatomically, in our approach to the keyboard, and in the challenges we currently face.  This presentation is based on four examples from biomechanics that provide insight into some possible solutions for problems in keyboard technique.  From the high-speed movements of a bumblebee’s wings we can learn much about the causes and impacts of unnecessary muscle tension.  From the ping-pong ball we can learn a few things about the physical laws governing our interactions with an organ or piano key.  The Roman Arch shows an example of how it is possible to support the hand and depress the key without muscular contraction using a gently curved finger. Finally, the physical reactions to walking the plank (or walking on ice for that matter) give us a source of information on the impact of stiffening our limbs on movement control.  All together, these represent four broadly applicable ideas to help individuals make well informed decisions about their keyboard technique.  

Donald Russell has an Associate Diploma from the Royal College of Organists, Associate and Choir Master Diplomas from the Royal Canadian College of Organists and a Diploma in Church Music Studies from the Royal School of Church Music and is an active organist, chorister, and composer in the Ottawa area. He has a PhD in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is a Professor and Associate Dean at Carleton University, where his research focuses on the biomechanics of musical performance. Dr. Russell has taught several graduate level courses on the biomechanics of keyboard performance and common playing related injuries.  He has been deeply involved in a wide range of research in areas related to music performance both through his own research at Carleton University and through active participation in various initiatives in music and health coordinated through the Piano Lab at the University of Ottawa where he has been an Adjunct Professor. This research has included work on measurements of posture in order to identify the impact of various somatic training interventions, such as Feldenkrais and the Alexander Technique, on musicians; measurement changes in wrist stiffness during the performance of challenging passages; muscular fatigue, and the impact of anxiety on musical performance.

Donald L. Russell, PhD (MIT), FEC, PEng (NS), DipRSCM, ARCO
Associate Dean (Governance), Faculty of Engineering and Design
Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Carleton University