J. S. Bach and friends presents PipeWorks to Broad Ripple Magnet High School's Music History and Music Theory classes between January 24th and February 6th, 2012. The Students of Mrs. Mary Leslie and Mr. Terion Cooper will have visits by musical legends Johann Sebastian Bach, Cesar Franck and their friends as part of PipeWorks. This program is a two-week interdisciplinary program of classroom instruction with a curriculum that integrates key concepts in music, science (how sound is produced, what are wave lengths), and social studies (what was happening in America during time periods of certain European composers) through the use of a traveling pipe organ with Plexiglas panels showing working parts of the organ. The long range purpose of PipeWorks is to expose young people to the pipe organ, its music, to foster the appreciation of organ music and encourage them to become aspiring organists.

The public is invited to attend these presentations in the Broad Ripple Magnet High School's auditorium on January 24th, 26th, 31st, 2012, and February 3rd, 2012, where the Chapter's traveling pipe organ will be utilized during all presentations. On Monday, February 6th, 2012, at 10 a.m. the students will travel to St. Luke's United Methodist church to hear a concert and demonstration on the 80 rank Goulding & Wood Pipe Organ, this concert is also open to the public.

Over the past few months Addie Yoder and Jim Stroh (PipeWorks Co-Coordinators) have worked diligently with Matthew Rimer (Magnet Director), Linda Davis (Principal), Mary Leslie (9th grade Music History and Music Theory), and Terion Cooper (8th grade Music History and Music Theory) to plan this program for the school. The Indianapolis chapter is pleased to add Broad Ripple Magnet High School to the list of nineteen schools where more than 3,000 students have experienced PipeWorks.

PipeWorks begins with an introduction to the pipe organ by Dr. Marko Petricic from the University of Indianapolis. Dr. Petricic's introduction to the pipe organ will explain how the pipe organ works and the science behind how sound is produced from a pipe organ. The presentation allows students to handle different pipes of a pipe organ and experience the different sounds made from pipes of different construction material, shapes and sizes.

A "visit" from J.S. Bach (portrayed by Robert Schilling) takes place on January 26th, 2012, followed by a "visit" from Cesar Franck (portrayed by David Lamb) on January 31st. These visits by Bach and Franck, portrayed in period costumes, will help students learn about the past to better understand the present when they hear stories about cultures in Bach and Franck's time periods and then compare those periods to the present culture and time.

During the first week of February a local composer will give a presentation on how music is composed and students will learn melodies associated with various composers and will have the opportunity to compose their own themes based on information from the composer.

The capstone event of PipeWorks will be on February 6th, 2012, at 10 a.m. at St. Luke's United Methodist Church, where the students will be presented with a program that includes their very own concert on one of the city's largest pipe organ installations. This includes a demonstration of different pipe sounds explained through narration featuring local organists Addie Yoder and Michael Messina.

Information about the PipeWorks program can be found at the American Guild of Organists' national website at www.agohq.org/education/indexpw.html and also at the Indianapolis Chapter's website at www.indyago.org/education.aspx.

To bring the PipeWorks program to your school contact Addie Yoder at akddyoder@att.net, Ph: 317-895-3195 or Jim Stroh at strohjim@att.net, Ph: 317-921-5448.