Margaret’s Marathons – preparing for the ultimate recital series
Margaret Phillips describes how she approached a truly unique recital challenge – performing the complete organ works of Bach in recital, not once but twice, and on two instruments of very different size and style.
RCO Journal Volume 5, 2011
The Journal of the Royal College of Organists is the College’s annual research publication. Volume 5, 2011, can be downloaded below. Contents of Volume 5, 2011: Virginalist embellishment: revisiting the grace signs Desmond Hunter Playing about with French classical organ music Edward Higginbottom Vierne’s 24 Pieces en Style Libre: Charles Holt’s performance listings Hugh Benham […]
RCO Journal Volume 6, 2012
The Journal of the Royal College of Organists is the College’s annual research publication. Volume 6, 2012, can be downloaded below. Contents of Volume 6, 2012: A life making music: a conversation with Piet Kee on his 85th birthday Further remarks on Jehan Alain’s organ music – the new Barenreiter edition Stephen Farr Hans Leo […]
RCO Journal Volume 8, 2014
The 2014 edition of the College’s annual research publication, The Journal of the Royal College of Organists, can be downloaded here as a complete edition. Individual articles are also available and searchable within iRCO.
Dan & the Magic Musician – a resource for school teachers
Dan and the Magic Musician tells the animated story of the greatest musical instrument of all.
Children can meet the pipe organ, with follow-up resources at the bottom of the page for teachers and parents.
Performance skills by Ann Elise Smoot
Ann Elise Smoot discusses how a professional approaches a performance, and how to cope with nerves on the day.
Practising & performing ARCO keyboard skills
Simon Williams provides guidance in this download on how to practice the ARCO keyboard skills, which include transposition, score reading, and harmonisation at sight, as well as improvisation, figured bass and sight-reading tests. He suggests useful material – music and books – to help take your studies further. Hints on practising & performing ARCO keyboard […]
Hymn playing for organists
Playing hymns is an essential part of the musical lives of most organists, and in this download Ian Curror considers the practical skills required. It is primarily designed for candidates who are preparing for CRCO, but it is hoped that it may prove valuable to others too. Hymn playing for organists
Registration – how to teach it
Many student organists panic when asked to choose their own stops, which is a shame when experienced organists know how fascinating the art of registration is. Teaching registration and console management can be very time-consuming. This download from the RCO Academy suggests a graded approach to teaching organ management, giving your students, whatever their stage […]

