I'm happy. Of course, I'm a volunteer (although I was surprised to read on the diocesan website that each of our parishes should strive to pay musicians something) and I can just walk away if things get too ugly! Mostly though, the benefits that come -even from volunteering - are so worth it!

Aquinas is the best! Dittos to everything else you said.

1. Yes that pastor and I see eye-to-eye on music.
2. Choir works hard and is a group of older people. The humble part they don't always do so well. LOL.
3. No, I am not paid well, but fortunately don't need the money. The parish has debt out the wazoo, so things won't change much as far as money goes.
4. Congregation is very supportive.
5. Pastor is strong and knows exactly what he wants.

Yes. I'm very happy and in an almost ideal situation.

I haven't been posting much recently in an attempt to avoid putting too much in public. But I am now happily in my second week at my first full-time job! After 10 years of taking the tough little jobs, I'm now at a place where I have a supportive pastor, cooperative choir, and respectable compensation! And doing great music to boot. I have a few things I could find to gripe about, but overall it's a fantastic job and a great fit for me.

I guess the takeaway, Teachermom, is that your son may have to put up with a lot, but if he's serious about his career, it will pay off. That and, as one colleague wisely told me, "there is no perfect church."

If all pastors treated their employees the way that I am treated, perhaps Catholic musicians would be a more cheerful bunch :)

Same for me. All of the complaints I have about my job (whether they remain internal or are vocalized to another poor suffering soul) are -- without exception -- resolved with a simple change of attitude on my part, from "Why aren't people [priests/parishioners/choristers] seeing/doing things the way I want/expect??? Graaaah!!!" to "How can I better be of service to God and to the people of my parish?" I have wasted many hours at work (and, dare I say, kilobytes on this forum) worrying about my legacy or some such ridiculousness, as if I was hired to build up my reputation. I still often descend into this. Paraphrasing Christ, "I already have my reward."

For me, I am happiest when I figure out what the next right step is for myself, and leave the result up to God. I know it's been a bad day if I leave with a worry-headache and don't know how I'll get through the week. I know it's been a good day if I want to go home and tell my wife and daughter that I love them.

Musicteacher56, I am VERY hopeful that you are right. A solid majority of the seminarians that I know have a preference for good sacred music. Keep praying!!

'tis the best of jobs...
'tis the worst of jobs...

I think all of us have parts of every job we've ever had that have been wonderful and others that have been bad or worse. However, if I had to go back to 2007 and decide whether to go do my MA in philosophy or move to the USA and become a full-time music director, I'd make the same choice a million times over.

You know, when Adam and Eve were driven out of the garden, work was one of the curses God put on them.

Exactly, TM24. I am anxious to see how our little chant group is received when we first sing for Advent. At Mass today, the guitarist played a song that we've been singing for years, but she didn't practice and was totally off key, had to start over and yada yada - it was sad. People have gotten so used to behavior like that, and we have several converts who don't really know any better, that it will be interesting, to say the least.

While I agree, TM24, I do see that there is hope. I am DM in a very small parish (I have 9 in my choir). They have been stuck in the 1970's with its sacro-pop music and refuse to come out, yet I've formed a Schola with people from surrounding parishes and also introduced sacred chant with the school children. It hasn't been easy and I've lost mot of my friends who feel I've gone "to the other side". I get constant complaints from parishioners who say the music is "too loud" despite the fact that when the drums, guitars, flutes, and keyboard were playing at decibels beyond human consumption, they loved it and constantly praised it. But every once in a while somebody will come up and say the music is beautiful and makes them more prayerful.

Yes, it is sometimes "casting peals before swine", but the rewards are great. Patience is the key. God bless in your ministry.

But every once in a while somebody will come up and say the music is beautiful and makes them more prayerful.

Yes, this would make a difference.

I wouldn't say I'm "very" happy at the moment, but I am relatively happy.
I have been in positions where I was "very happy" and could have responded yes or mostly yes to all of your points.
(Speaking of which, anyone who wants to be very happy ought to take another look at this job posting! http://forum.musicasacra.com/forum/discussion/9845/director-of-music-st.-patrick-church-ann-arbor-mi )

As a young priest, it would be encouraging to me to know that there are also young Catholic musicians who are being trained in the Church's vision for sacred music in the liturgy. So perhaps it may be encouraging to you to know that there are young priests that are learning this as well. So I am hopeful that fulfillment of your first element on your list will become more prevalent in the future if it may not be the case now.

God has a plan for each of us, so I would encourage your son above all to pray "God what do you want me to do?" He has created us for a specific participation in his own salvific mission. Jesus never asks us to do something that will make us miserable. It may not always be easy, but his calling for us will bring us the greatest measure of happiness we can have outside of heaven.

God bless,
Fr. Vogel

Thank you, Fr. Vogel--your words are very encouraging. I shared them with my son, and he thanks you as well.

Kathy

I'm not entirely unhappy, but I'm not happy either. I get along with my pastor and we pretty much agree on most things, but it seems music is the major disconnect. It's not that he asks me to do ridiculous things (I'm free to do almost what I please, if I want). He lets me do Latin, traditional hymns, etc. But I don't have the freedom to try singing the propers and he's satisfied with the toaster box of an "organ" that we have, despite having the funds to get something better. I just have the feeling that music is not at a high level of importance.

I wasn't professionally trained and I hadn't intended to go into church music as a career, but it's worked out that way somehow, but I do think I'd have spent the past seven years differently if I could rewind. For me, because I'm not a professional, the options for work are not great (I don't think they would be if I were). I also no longer have the illusion that I had some years before that working in a church is a great place to work. To me, it's been a letdown because I expect more of others in that place than I would elsewhere and I've found out it's often not true. Also, while I'm fine right now with my pittance of an income (not from being underpaid, but from lack of hours) it's necessary for me to work another job and just do this on the side to make anything that I can live on.

From my experience (and that alone) it seems that there are few churches that provide an ideal work place. You're going to run into liturgical innovations, grumpy choirs, squeaking parishioners, skinflint finance councils, sixty-year-old electronic organs, or very low income -- or some variation of that. A lot of them can be handled, but when grouped with the latter, it becomes very difficult.

That said, I don't want to discourage anyone because if we DON'T have good musicians working for the church then things will never improve. I do think (and some here have already proved that) there are some good places to work and pastors who need someone to help them overhaul (or maintain) a good music program. I think being prepared to move long distance (something I'm not willing to do), however, is probably going to be a requirement to find such a place. That and willing to possibly work a second job.