CERTIFICATION WORKSHOP
SERVICE PLAYING EXAM WORKSHOP
The AGO
was founded in 1896
by
The Board of Regents
of the
University of the State of New York
For the purpose of administering
a series of exams for
PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION
Current Exams
SPC - Service Playing Certificate
CAGO - Colleague
ChM - Choirmaster
AAGO - Associate
FAGO - Fellow
Training Levels
Service Playing Certificate
CAGO or ChM - BA in Organ or Sacred Music
AAGO - MA in Organ or Sacred Music
FAGO - PhD in Organ or Sacred Music
(See Salary and fee guide)
Be a 360 degree Player . . .
Acknowledgement to Sue Mitchell-Wallace, FAGO
Tests repertoire and the skills we need to do our jobs
The Service Playing Exam
Step One
Read Requirements - See July TAO
20 Points - Organ Repertoire from 3 groups
10 Points - Transpose Hymn
20 Points - Play 2 Hymns
10 Points - Accompany a Psalm
20 Points - Accompany 2 Anthems
20 Points - Sight Read a short passage
Step 2
Select the music you are going to play and begin to practice
• Finger memory
Repertoire - Group A
• Any Chorale Prelude from Orgelbüchlein
• Any Bach Fugue (including the Eight Little Preludes and Fugues)
Trivia Questions 1 & 2
• Who composed the Bach's Eight Little Preludes and Fugues
• There are eight pieces and seven keys (if we don't count sharps and flats)
• Which key has two pieces?
Repertoire - Group B
• Trivia Questions 3, 4 & 5
• Spell M_ composer.
• Spell V__ composer.
• Spell D_ composer.
Repertoire - Group C
• Any Movement from Langlais' Organ Book
• Any of Schoeder's Orgelchorale
• Any piece from Gerald Near's Saint Augustine's Organbook
• Any one of Bloch's Six Preludes
Trivia Questions 6, 7 & 8
• What country was Langlais from?
• What instrument does his wife play?
• How many pieces are in his Organ Book?
The Hymn Booklet
• Transpose one hymn up or down no more than a major second - you choose hymn; proctor picks key at time of exam. (10 pts)
• Play two stanzas of two hymns as if accompanying a large, enthusiastic congregation - contrast is expected. (20 pts)
• Play Psalm accompaniment from booklet (10 Pts)
Anthem Accompaniment - any two (20 pts)
• Mathias - As Truly as God is Our Father
• Haydn - Awake the Harp (from The Creation)
• Mendelssohn - How Lovely are the Messengers (from St. Paul)
• Mathias - As Truly as God is Our Father
• Howells - My Eyes for Beauty Pine
• Near - Adam Lay Ybounden
Sight Reading
• 20 of 100 Points
Judged on:
+ maintaining tempo
+ accuracy of notes
+ accuracy of rhythm
Practice hints . . .
Step 3 - Gather the Materials
Gather Materials you will need
• AGO Hymn Booklet
• Application form
• Study Guide from AGO National -
(or chapter library) Certification Study Guides - see TAO
• Manual of Procedure for SPC test
• Music
Support Group vs. Self Help
• Get a study buddy
• Form a study group
• Group discipline
• Group gets more attention
• Play for and critique each other
Submit Application
• Talk to your dean, your chapter education person or to someone who has recently gone through the Certification Process.
• Schedule test date and place
• Get proctor name and address
Exam Evaluation
• Done anonymously by AGO Board of Examiners under the direction of the Committee on Professional Certification
• Two members will evaluate your recording independently and you will receive numerical scores, which are an average of the two evaluations, and . . .
• Written comments by the evaluators. The good and the useful.
The Day of Reckoning
• Letter arrives in the mail . . .
• Courage needed to open it
• YOU PASSED!!! . . . (or maybe not) -
some noted people tried four and five times says Sue Mitchell-Wallace
Aftermath
• Recognition - some surprises
• Certificate - suitable for framing
• Reception at National Convention
• More money???
• A ready made mini-recital
Advice from Mark R and Larry L
• The judges would rather hear good than hard.
• Practice until you can play in your sleep (finger memory).
• Play the repertoire many times in public before the exam.
• Don't get fancy with your hymn playing and do something you are not really comfortable with.
• Don't be intimidated by the study guides, but don't underestimate the SPC exam either.
• They will know!!!
Further Advice from LL
• A MIDI recorder, if you have one, is a valuable tool for self-evaluation.
• A tape recorder is also a valuable tool and will give you an idea of what the judges will be hearing when your application reaches them. The organ may sound much different on a recorder than it does in real life. Adjust your registrations accordingly.
Hint: Clicking on the CAZAGO, in the upper left corner of a page,
will also take you back to the home page.