A new, comprehensive educational model for organ instruction, encompassing organ technology & playing.
05/13/2026
Another AOA on the Road Event. This time our Executive Administrator had the opportunity to help out our friends at Pipe Organs of Boardwalk Hall Atlantic City and exhibit during the Anna Lapwood concert. What a magnificent event. We met so many people and hope you enjoyed the experience as much as we did!
If you missed this concert, sign up for their newsletter and events calendar on their website:
https://www.boardwalkorgans.org
05/01/2026
What are YOU doing on Friday? The answer could be seeing Anna Lapwood at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall. The folks at Pipe Organs of Boardwalk Hall Atlantic City have worked hard to restore this instrument and she is making it soar! I am sitting in the arena listening to her register and practice and I have goosebumps. I can HARDLY wait for the concert! Tickets are still available online. And don’t forget to stop by Concourse E & F to see the American Organ Academy booth!
https://www.boardwalkorgans.org/event-details-registration/anna-lapwood-returns
What happens when our Executive Director is challenged to play some holiday tunes? A spontaneous mini concert. As it is the Feast of St. Patrick we want to tell all who support us how lucky WE are to have your support and encouragement! Enjoy this little clip and allow us to extend this blessing:
"May the dreams you hold dearest be those which come true;
the kindness you spread, keep returning to you." 🍀🌈
From all of us at the AOA, Happy St. Patrick's Day!!
03/13/2026
Full Time Student Spotlight:
Spencer is a full-time student at the American Organ Academy. He came to the AOA after his college friend recommended our program. One of the things that makes the AOA unique is that our students learn about the organ in a classroom setting AND through hands-on practical training.
One of the projects Spencer is working on in Technology Lab is an 1883 Mason & Hamlin Reed Organ. With the understanding of our educational mission, the owner and sponsor of this project asked us to restore this family heirloom so it can make music and be preserved for future generations. A reed organ is a great way for a newer student to dip their toes into organ design and construction. Spencer learned how to diagnose the condition of the organ, document that condition for the sponsor, create a report with recommendations on necessary repairs, create a simple contract for the work, and is now repairing and restoring this instrument. There's more to do but you can see the progress we've made thus far.
02/28/2026
Our Executive Director has been invited to play again at the East Texas Pipe Organ Festival this year. Listen to his talented recital from last year.
John Schwandt Plays the 1959 Aeolian-Skinner at St. Mark's Cathedral, Shreveport for ETPOF 2025. EAST TEXAS PIPE ORGAN FESTIVAL ST. MARK’S CATHEDRALSHREVEPORT, LATHURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 202510:00 A.M. JOHN SCHWANDT, ORGANIST PROGRAMPräludium in C Georg Bӧ...
🎄Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with blessing. From all of us at the American Organ Academy.
"I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men."
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. "Christmas Bells."
12/11/2025
It’s beginning to look a lot like Holiday Pipes! The wind might be blowing off of Lake Erie but it is nice and warm inside this gorgeous home and event space. Even the resident canine, Muffy, is preparing for guests tomorrow. Tickets are still available so get yours today! 🌲 🎶 🎟️
Pipedreams John Schwandt, Concert Organist American Organ Academy Blackstone Organ
12/02/2025
Looking for a gift for that person that has everything? Donate to a charity! It is Giving Tuesday and a great way to honor someone special, make a donation before the end of the year, and support your favorite non-profit.
The American Organ Academy has been teaching people about organ technology and organ performance for five years. Christian joined us for our first seminar on pipe organ tuning. He was recently graduated from BYU-Idaho with a degree in music and was looking for a music-related career. He had taken organ lessons and quickly became fascinated with the instrument. After that first seminar, Christian decided to come study with the American Organ Academy full time and move from Idaho to Ohio. He spent the next two-and-a-half years learning about this majestic instrument and finished his studies with a capstone project rebuilding an Austin "Chorophone" from 1926 which now resides in a residence in San Antonio, Texas. Before graduation, Christian had an offer for a full time position at A.R. Schopp's Sons, Inc. where he had done his work study.
We couldn't teach students like Christian and so many others without the support of generous donors and sponsors. Join us in our mission to teach people how to play and maintain these glorious instruments for years to come. We know there is an alarming shortage of skilled organ technicians and you can help us solve that problem. Click the link below TODAY and your donation will receive a 1% match.
https://givebutter.com/supportaoa
Wishing all of you a Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃🍁
11/18/2025
The AOA recently presented our second Student-Faculty Recital. Love a little Buxtehude? John Williams? Russian Vocal Literature? Broadway? Hymn Sing? Improvisation? There was something for everyone. Special thanks to our hosts at Zion Lutheran in Wooster, OH for generously hosting us and recording the event. You can still listen to the recital even if you weren't able to make it to the event.
https://www.youtube.com/live/7m8_6NLYxPQ?si=1Hgnx_O3jBEz8CxI&t=115
The American Organ Academy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. If you would like to donate to the AOA and support our mission, please visit https://givebutter.com/supportaoa
American Organ Academy 2025 Fall Recital Discover Zion: https://www.zionlutheran-wooster.org/ A congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), part of the Northeastern Ohio Syn...