How to Be a Church Organist
Even though there are not a tremendous amount of church organists out there, there is high demand for them. It takes some churches months or even years to replace their organist. Some contemporary churches don't use organists anymore, opting instead for ensemble groups or bands. Follow these steps to be a church organist.
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Instructions
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Practice, practice, practice. It can't be emphasized enough. Use a church song book and hymnals to become familiar with the hymns you'll be playing in church.
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Attend services or mass and pay attention to the music. Learn how the service is structured. This includes songs that invite the congregation to join in the response and songs handled primarily by the cantor and background music without lyrics.
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Get used to the flow of the service. It's important to know the cues for organ music. The priest or pastor must work flawlessly with the organist without the congregation even noticing.
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Call area churches and ask if they're looking for an organist. If not, see if they've heard of other churches in need.
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Speak to the organist directly. You may even offer to pick up some services from the current organist if they're stretched too thin. You can also shadow them to get a real feel for being a church organist.
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Understand that being a church organist requires a commitment of your time. You must make almost all masses and services on the weekends. You'll also be called on for funerals, weddings, baptisms and other ceremonies.
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