List, I've seen a few Baptist churches who have exposed pipes, but it's usually just a single rank or two. The explanation I've heard is that they don't want the organ attracting attention to itself. The sanctuaries are often plain, elegant, but simple. In a Baptist church, the niche for the baptismal pool generally takes the forefront. Regarding these organists who are soooooooooo possessive of their instruments, I wonder how that attitude keeps perpetuating itself. I guess, the powers that be at many churches become easily convinced by these organists just how delicate this expensive instrument is and that nobody should have access to it without permission - then they make that permission very difficult to get. Organists don't seem to remember that it's not THEIR organ, but that it was bought and paid for by the church - or thru a donation. I guess my question has to do with the AGO. Does the AGO have any statement or opinion (even if stated in a positive light) about easy access to organs? Are these organists members of their local AGO chapters? Does the organists' possessiveness ever filter up to the other members of the AGO? Is there any peer pressure within the AGO chapters to allow access to the organs? If these organists found themselves being frowned upon by their peers for their actions, they might change. I wonder what a music committee would say if an AGO officer phoned the music director or music committee chairman to explain how delicate these instruments "aren't" and how to allow access while protecting the instrument. Or, are these organists totally in their own world - they don't attend AGO meetings, they don't really interact with other musicians outside their own church, so there really is no way to apply pressure to them? Anyway, just jusings, Keith ============================================================================= New low pricing on books and music for the Rodgers Organ at www.frogmusic.com ============================================================================= To unsubscribe or change mail delivery (digest, vacation) go to www.frogmusic.com/rodgersmem.html