I've given organ tutorials several times, and I also have a video tutorial on YouTube. I have offered to give lessons to those who wish, but I make it clear that they must be able to practice or they must have two appointments with me: one for the organ and one to practice manual parts at the piano. I want them to understand what they are getting into, as I have several students who simply think it would be fun to play with the instrument and make a lot of noise, then quit after the second or third lesson. If I am going to teach them to play, they must make a commitment to learn.

Matthew PM me when you are going to start after the holidays and I will look at my calendar.

Clerget, i will look for the videos.

RJ sometimes you have to advertise and just let people know your willing to give the lessons. Some people who already play the piano might be interested. I know my wife is a piano teacher, when we go to different churches to check them out, I always want to make my up to the loft to meet with the director or organist but she is too afraid. She doesn't feel like you all want to be bothered after Mass, and she plays at Mass and loves it when people talk to her after Mass, go figure.

It is extremely difficult to attract new organists when there are few organs out there and no money to pay scholarships.

Chicken-and-egg problem.

and no money to pay scholarships.

You know, I don't know about this. There seems to be money for so many things. If the church wanted to pay for young people to learn organ, voice and theory, there would be money for it.

When you are told 'there isn't money', what is really meant is that they aren't going to spend it on music. When 'they' really want something, they rarely fail to find the money for it!

Send some of that to your brothers in the north in Indiana!

Canadash observes, correctly:

There seems to be money for so many things. If the church wanted to pay for young people to learn organ, voice and theory, there would be money for it.

Well, in my own archdiocese - usually regarded as Australia's most orthodox - there is invariably money for

(a) Youth pro-life-movement concerts devoted to cover versions of such musical giants as that well-known Ockeghem de nos jours, Justin Bieber;

(b) Ecumenical dialogue / outreach programs for endless gab-fests with Muslims;

(c) and most importantly, payouts for the victims of Fr. Lawrence C. Murphy's less ingenious antipodean equivalents.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_abuse_scandal_in_Catholic_archdiocese_of_Milwaukee#Lawrence_Murphy_case

Donr makes a good point, above; but regrettably my formal qualifications - for whatever they're worth - are all in the playing of the organ, not in music teaching. I passed Eighth Grade in the Australian Music Examinations Board system (the relevant AGO level would appear to be Associate, though don't quote me on this assertion) yet nowadays here, for any instrument, you also need the teaching diploma at least. Oh, and a police clearance of course, but I wouldn't have problems with obtaining that.

BTW

Someone else who knows more can fill in details, but I understand that in the chorister system in England, boys take a year off of singing when their voices change, and spend most of that time learning organ.

I'm going to say it straight about churches in Australia. In the Catholic Church, there are a mere handful of Cathedral Choirs. The traditional chorister system barely exists even among the cathedral choirs.

For the most part, there was never a particularly solid and widespread choral tradition in Australia. It has certainly picked up over the last 20 years, but there is resistance to change.

For one thing, nearly all the people who now lead music programs in schools are the people who grew up with the 70's/80's folk-guitar church music, and worse still, with the Hillsong style "Christian-Rock" music.

I did a Primary School (Year 6) graduation mass last night. I played the ordinary of the mass on the organ and did some filler interludes, but as I had been called in only 7 hours earlier (fill in for a cancellation) the "hymns" were trite modern trash played from a CD because they didn't have sheet music.

When I don't get a say in the music, I can just bite the bullet, but I could have played all the "hymns" on the organ even if just from a lead sheet.

I've also looked into the "gig instrument" idea. I've often thought that a chopped B3 would be good, but that's due to economics: Hammonds are a dime-a-dozen where I'm from!

Please stop referring to playing at mass or sacred events as 'gigs'. This sounds absolutely trashy and disrespectful, nor does it convey that you yourself think too highly of your service to the Church. One could call it 'playing for mass', 'playing for a weddeing', or an 'engagement', or some other suitable term that infers that this is something very special.