Welcome to the Studio of Organist and Music Director John Cavicchio
As a vocational organist and church music director, I enjoy helping students improve their skills on the organ, learn the instrument from scratch, or broaden their career prospects by teaching them the skills required by full-time church music positions. My students typically fall into one of the following categories:
Pianists, either amateur or professional, who want to land more gigs by learning the organ
Experienced organists who want to take their skills to the next level, perhaps by learning improvisation, arranging, transposition, and more
Beginner organists who need a weekly instructor
If you would like to talk about weekly or a la carte organ lessons, please get in touch. I would love to hear about your goals and how I can help.
My Organ Studio Location
I work with organists in NYC (and elsewhere in New York State) as opportunity allows - some students have contacted me because they aren’t able to find a suitable instructor in their local area. I teach organ lessons at First Presbyterian Church of Freehold, NJ, where I’m the music director and organist.
My studio is less than an hour and half due south on highway 95 from Manhattan, and a bit further from Brooklyn and Queens. I have had students reach out from Westchester County and elsewhere as well.
If you’d like to speak about working together, we can set up a phone call and find some times that work with your schedule.
Organ Lessons NYC For Pianists Wanting to Double
Are you an advanced pianist who would like to add the organ to your repertoire? You’re not alone. In fact, this is a common career move, and some pianists mistakenly think that adding organ to the piano is too hard. We can start building on your piano abilities right from day one, and while the coordination of using pedals and multiple levels of keys isn’t exactly easy, you can learn it relatively quickly with practice.
I will help you layer foot coordination in a digestible progression, and we’ll address stops, swell pedals, and more as quickly as possible. I am also happy to answer your specific questions about organ technique, literature, or career prospects.
How Does Playing Organ Improve Your Music Career in NYC?
Pay For Church Organ Players
As a general rule, you can expect $10K-$12K per year for a part time church organist position. At this level of pay, you will have a fairly low key list of responsibilities including congregational singing accompaniment, choir accompaniment, prelude music, offertory accompaniment, and other duties on Sundays.
If you take on additional responsibilities, you could see your annual pay increase to as much as $80K+. You may need to double on piano and organ, lead the choir, direct a youth music program, direct handbells, and perform other duties, but you will find the job rewarding and enjoyable.
Learn The Ropes of Being a Church Music Director and Organist
I enjoy helping my organ students understand the responsibilities of church music director jobs (if so desired), and I can tailor my curriculum to this end. If you would like to work towards becoming a professional church musician in some capacity, please let me know.
NYC Organ Lessons For Hobbyists and Beginners
You don’t need any prior experience in music to start organ lessons in my studio. I can help you read notes on the staff, map those notes to the keyboard, learn how the pedals on the organ work, teach you music theory, and help you choose and learn skill level-appropriate repertoire on the organ. I will also send you home after each lesson with a detailed practice plan; if you practice intelligently and regularly, you will be amazed at how quickly you can improve.
Also, once you’ve learned the basics, we can tackle advanced concepts like transposition, music arrangement, how to sight read (important if you plan to accompany a choir), and more.
Contact Me For a Trial Organ Lesson
If you’d like to start with a free trial lesson or a phone call, please reach out at your earliest convenience. I’d love to hear from you. Additionally, if you would like to chat about piano lessons in Freehold, NJ, other music lessons, or join my community handbell ensemble in NJ, please get in touch!