There was a time when the initials WMD meant “Weapons of Mass Destruction.” Those three initials were in the minds of those who lived during the Gulf War with Iraq, March 20, 2003 – December 18, 2011. The United States was at war because officials believed Saddam Hussein was developing Weapons of Mass Destruction or WMD.

Starting this week, we will have our own WMD … as I’m restarting in-person organ lessons at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu. WMD in our situation will mean:

W – Wash (and wipe): Students need to wash their hands before beginning the lesson, and need to wash their hands after the lesson. Before the lesson, I’ll also wipe the keyboards, drawknobs, door handles and any other surfaces which we may touch during the course of the lesson. The church has also asked me to have students apply hand sanitizer gel before and after the lesson.

P.S. I think I will pass on wiping down the pedalboard. After all, you should always wear shoes when playing the organ!

There has been quite a discussion as to what kind of disinfectant is safe for wooden organ keys, and so we have decided to use a a light wipe with a damp cloth; a fragrance-free, non-alcoholic wipe premoistened with aloe and water (sold by Costco). Furniture wipes and those containing alcohol will damage the wood, so those will be avoided.

M – Masks. Both I as your teacher and students will wear masks throughout the lesson. One of my quarantine projects has been to make three-layer cotton face masks and I have plenty of masks to give away.

D – Distance. I will keep a safe distance away from the organ keyboard. Most likely I’ll be sitting at the piano, so I can demonstrate tempos, or play other musical passages. (Speaking of the piano, please see my next post, “The Estonia Piano.”)

Normally I’ve sat in a chair next to the organ bench, or even have reached over or hopped on the bench to demonstrate a passages. Now, I’ll keep my distance!

When you come for a lesson, let’s all remember W-M-D!