Education and certification are at the heart of the AGO's mission and have been since the Guild was originally chartered over a century ago. The AGO's certification program "is comparable to license and accreditation board standards in other fields, such as medicine, accounting, law, [and] education...
Preparation for the exams strengthens you in areas that you use all the time: sight-reading, transposition, modulation, improvisation, accompaniment, and hymn-playing. Preparation is completely flexible. You can study on your own; you can work with a teacher; you can prepare as a group.
The certification process is anonymous and it is fair. No one needs to know anything about it except the one chapter member who makes the arrangements. The examiners never see you and don't know who you are. You could be a high school student or a college professor.
You will know exactly what will happen at the exam. There are no surprises. All the procedures are spelled out in detail for all participants...
The most important reason to become certified, of course, is that you will be a better organist and a better musician. The preparation will make you more skilled and confident. And the certificate will give you the respect of your employer and your peers, and a justified feeling of accomplishment." (from the AGO Certification document as found at www.agohq.org ).
Dual certifications by both the AGO and NPM (National Association of Pastoral Musicians) are available at the Service Playing and Colleague levels. NPM joint certification candidates should be fully aware of all NPM certification requirements, which may be obtained from NPM (npm.org)
Anyone interested in taking Exams through the Suffolk Chapter should also contact Deanna Muro, Certification Chairperson of the Suffolk Chapter via the Webmaster (click here).