Don't ban TikTok, says Worcester church organist: Here's how he says it helps him

Kinga Borondy, Worcester Telegram & Gazette

WORCESTER ― The first thing Wesley Hall, the minister of music at First Baptist Church Worcester, did when he learned how members of the U.S. House had voted on the measure to curtail TikTok last week was call U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern to thank him.

Keyboardist and organ player, Wesley Hall, explains the intricacies of pipe organs in his TikTok videos, some of which have gone viral. He is hopeful Washington lawmakers refrain from banning the application; or forcing its sale
Keyboardist and organ player, Wesley Hall, explains the intricacies of pipe organs in his TikTok videos, some of which have gone viral. He is hopeful Washington lawmakers refrain from banning the application; or forcing its sale

“I had called him prior to the vote to explain my concerns with the possible ban and he wrote me back a letter in which he was very kind and clear,” Hall said, adding he was relieved to learn that his representative in Washington had voted against the measure, one of only 65 who did so.

The vote, taken Wednesday, was 352-65 in favor of either banning the application-based video communications platform or forcing its sale. Of those voting against the measure, 50 were Democrats and 15 were Republican. Of the nine Massachusetts representatives, four voted against the ban while five voted in favor.

The bill, which President Joe Biden indicated he would sign if it lands on his desk, went to the Senate, where it faces an uncertain fate.

If the bill is passed, the TikTok app would be removed from app stores and banned from being downloaded onto American-owned devices, unless the Chinese parent company of TikTok, ByteDance, sells its stake.

Lawmakers have cited national security concerns and fears that users' personal information could be accessed by the Chinese government. As president, Donald Trump attempted to ban or force a sale of TikTok by executive action, but he now says he opposes banning the app.

Hall says is not concerned with the possible disclosure of his personal information to the Chinese government. He also expressed distrust of American companies that could purchase the application, valued in the billions of dollars.

With the guardrails already in place, “free market” pressures and possible redress through the American court system, he believes that adequate avenues exist to protect the public.

The knows or "stops" of a pipe organ are etched with the sound they produce; pictured is the clarinet stop, the English horn stop and other musical designations. The organist, Wesley Hall plays the pipe organ in the First Baptist Church Worcester, plays all simultaneously; pulling out stops, working foot pedals and the keyboard to produce a cohesive, and beautiful, piece of music.

Hall, who started using TikTok while stuck in Germany during the pandemic, has reached as many as 6 million viewers with a video.

His tag: Wesley@Westpiper.

Using social media, the musician, who fell in love with pipe organs as an 11-year-old boy growing up in Worcester, works to educate the world about the beauty and intricacies of the instrument, which he called one of man’s most complex and beautiful inventions.

“It’s a contraption, a machine, (with electrification) an acoustic synthesizer,” Hall said. “But it’s beautiful as an instrument and as art.”

There are dozens of pipe organs in Worcester. One of the most famous is in Mechanics Hall — built in the 1860s by the American Orchestral Institution, it’s known to fans simply as the Worcester organ.

The keyboard and the "stops" or knobs used by keyboardist and organ player, Wesley Hall, minister of music at the First Baptist Church Worcester, uses to play one of two pipe organ in the church; he explains how they work in his Tik Tok videos, some of which have gone viral
The keyboard and the "stops" or knobs used by keyboardist and organ player, Wesley Hall, minister of music at the First Baptist Church Worcester, uses to play one of two pipe organ in the church; he explains how they work in his Tik Tok videos, some of which have gone viral

The church where Hall works as the minister of music has two organs: An older one, similar to the one in Mechanics Hall, and a newer one, built in England in the 1980s in the German baroque style.

“We say it’s a German organ with a British accent,” Hall joked.

The foot pedals and toe stops used by keyboardist and organ player, Wesley Hall, to make music on the pipe organ at First Baptist Church in Worcester; his TikTok videos explaining the intricacies and beauty of pipe organs have reached thousands
The foot pedals and toe stops used by keyboardist and organ player, Wesley Hall, to make music on the pipe organ at First Baptist Church in Worcester; his TikTok videos explaining the intricacies and beauty of pipe organs have reached thousands

Hall, who also works with the music department at the Worcester State University and teaches music at a local school, was able to reach an audience of 100,000 TikTok viewers when he posted a video of the church’s project to locate both its pipe organs in the sanctuary.

His pipe organ content is not alone on the platform. Other organists and musicians post their videos regularly.

Through TikTok, he was able to connect with a London expert who brought the Pembroke Choir from Cambridge, England, to perform at First Baptist Church last Easter and at Mechanics Hall. He also connected with Connor Chee, a Native American pianist and composer commissioned to create a piece for the National Convention of the American Guild of Organists. Hall bought the piece and performs it regularly.

He said that without TikTok, the beauty and complexity of pipe organs would not be in the public eye.

“I believe other artists, faith leaders, business owners are either calling their representatives to thank them, or scold them," Hall said.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester church organist says TikTok has helped him, decries ban

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