I can't speak for everyone else, but to be fair to you and "us," I think we'd be in a better position if you could provide a kind of resume, or curriculum vitae with as much detail about your musical history as far back as you think appropriate.

Can you play piano or organ? Conduct a choir?

Really, these questions border on the improper in the light that a diocese replaced a group member, a professional director, in place 19 years, with a director for the cathedral AND the diocese, the new person who prided herself on not reading music and refused to learn.

Robert Shaw is an example for many of is to aspire to - if that makes any sense. With today's emphasis on advanced degrees and studies with named experts in a field...

Shaw was born in Red Bluff, California. He attended Pomona College, class of 1938. Shortly after his graduation, Shaw was hired by popular band leader Fred Waring to recruit and train a glee club that would sing with the band. In 1941, Shaw founded the Collegiate Chorale, a group notable in its day for its racial integration. In 1948, the group performed Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the NBC Symphony and Arturo Toscanini, who famously remarked, "In Robert Shaw I have at last found the maestro I have been looking for." [3] Shaw continued to prepare choirs for Toscanini until March 1954, when they sang in Te Deum by Verdi and the prologue to Mefistofele by Boito. Shaw's choirs participated in the NBC broadcast performances of three Verdi operas: Aida, Falstaff and A Masked Ball, all conducted by Toscanini. They can be seen on the home videos of the telecasts of Aida (from 1949) and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (from April 1948), also conducted by Toscanini. Shaw himself took a bow at the end of the Beethoven telecast.

When you think about it, why not advertise for priests who never attended seminary. What's the difference?

How are your leadership skills? Do you have an apostolic desire to serve God in this way?

Gavin is right - but not 100%.
I have observed too many acolytes who must have been tutored by an 'enthusiastic layman'. Being Acolyte master presumes a master of ceremony's command of liturgical action, and it presumes a thorough knowledge of the various roles (crucifer, thuribler, boat boy, torch bearers, servers, etc.) of each acolyte, its purpose and function in the liturgy, and a knowledge of liturgy to impart to one's disciples that brings to life the realities behind their actions and makes of them more than simply doing specific tasks a certain way because they were only taught 'to do' this and that.

However, I think that you could very likely acquaint yourself with such knowledge far more easily than you could acquire the requisite knowledge of sacred choral literature, skill in communicating vocal techniques and directing choirs, and playing the organ with authority. In this Gavin is spot on!

How many people directing a music program in the US have attended a Chant intensive, much less two of them?

When did the ability to be a leader, conduct a choir or play the organ become more important than being able to sing chant?

All of these skills are window dressing around the main role. Non-essential. Just like the ads that that say the director of music music be able to play organ, piano, guitar and have vocal skills sufficient to serve as a cantor.

I think this person has much more potential, especially because the priest has faith in him/her, than many here are willing to give him/her.

Added:

Were Jeffrey Tucker and Arlene Oost-Zinner trained organists and choir directors back in 2001? Have we forgotten our roots?

http://ceciliaschola.org

Why are we applying/encouraging the typical Protestant music staffing prototype that has no place in the Catholic church?

Leadership, choral conducting and organ skills are great to have. I often say my biggest function as a DOM is to keep the musicians from killing each other. Now that's a job!

No, the DM's primary objective should be to train, educate and then pilot not only his/her choristers under their direction, but also those who lead other ensembles, or even, arggh, "cantor," towards getting, achieving and then honing their skills to be coordinate to the DM's clearly articulated vision for where the parish needs to go in terms of sacred music serving the liturgy.

This is not leadership in the usual* business sense, which is where Kathy is wrong. It is coordinating the efforts of people at various levels and pushing them forward.


*"usually" removed, "business" added.

The pastor wants bhcordova. That's not nothing. But it's not everything. In your position, bh, I'd interview, and articulate a clear and wonderful vision for music in the parish, being very upfront about your strengths and weaknesses in implementing that vision. Several things might happen. He might decide your vision isn't his. Or that it's a great vision, but you aren't the one to implement it. Or he might decided that people with vision are so rare that he'd like to let you run with yours.

As far as my leadership skills are concerned - I have served as president of the Pastoral Council, president of Keep Nacogdoches Beautiful (a Keep America Beautiful affiliate), chair of the local community health clinic, and was a construction superintendent for 10 years. I also have an MBA where I studied business leadership.

You are there, we are not. You know the people and the circumstances, we do not. I think you should use your knowledge to make a decision that is best for you and the parish.

This is not leadership in the usually sense, which is where Kathy is wrong. It is coordinating the efforts of people at various levels and pushing them forward.

Noel, excuse me, but I don't follow your logic in this response to my post. There was not an iota of managerial or administrative ability mentioned in my response to CDub. I have to wonder if you're still confounded by that local situation of which you part years ago.
Please feel free to re-read exactly what I said to Charles, because I stand by it.
I would think that Kathy's question was appropriate as a general inquiry to bhc's "record" in that one arena.
OTOH, unless bhc would specify more of both his/her curriculum vitae as a musician AND a fairly exacting portrait of what is expected of a DM in Nacogdoches, we cannot provide much valuable feedback, period.
I'll try to prime the pump- our schola doesn't rehearse at all in summer. We still sing motets in addition to propers, hymns SATB, Ordinary SATB (Jernberg/Giffen) every Sunday, well. I had programmed an "O sacrum convivium" and we had 16 singers, but we hadn't pulled that out of Noel's anthology for a while. I knew by the end of "reading" on a neutral syllable just the first page of four, it wasn't going to fly. So, I had them turn to Elgar's "Ave verum..." and we brushed it up in 5" and all went very well. I'm not suggesting that bhc has to have that sort of experience and knowledge level, but a "director" in all senses of the term has to have a body of knowledge, experience and expertise that is many degrees higher than any parishioner, chorister or cleric in the parish. To paraphrase the political pundits this week, we cannot afford to be relegated to the kid's table. If Romeri can get pushed out, any of us can. I'm not consigned to that fate, for whatever control I have. You must know your stuff.

No, the DM's primary objective should be to train, educate and then pilot not only his/her choristers under their direction, but also those who lead other ensembles, or even, arggh, "cantor," towards getting, achieving and then honing their skills to be coordinate to the DM's clearly articulated vision for where the parish needs to go in terms of sacred music serving the liturgy.

All well and good, but there is more to it than the flag waving, rah, rah stuff. The fighting among the musicians at a couple of the local parishes is legendary. That doesn't happen at my place because I wont put up with it. There is a down-to-earth practical aspect to this type of work and it isn't all focused on music, just everyday administration. Nothing particularly sacred about that.

I don't necessarily disagree, oh sage of the vast desert, but our work tends to get overly cloaked in the sacred and an above the fray mentality. Yes, some parts would fit that mindset. On the other hand, some aspects of our jobs are no different from the down-and-dirty one would find in any other corporation. To truly understand the "business" side of the church, one only need read "Dilbert." Has anyone else here ever worked for the pointy-haired boss? LOL.

Can we all meet at Wally World?

Just to let you know, I didn't get the job.

Thanks for the update. Too often we never know how these situations turn out!

The Roger Wagner story brings to mind the following tale:

I believe it was Carl Sagan who, at a cocktail party or reception of some sort, had a youngish lady come up to him and say, "Hello. I don't think we've met, so let me introduce myself. I'm Jenny Olsen, and I'm a middle school science teacher. May I ask who you are?"

Mr. Sagan replied, "Please to meet you, Miss Olsen. My name is Carl Sagan and I'm an astonomer."

Her eyes brightened as she exclaimed, "Oh, you're an astronomer! That was all covered in a science course I had in college."

This suggests: (a) She had no idea who Carl Sagan was, and (b) she didn't know much about astronomy.

Actually, I am not exactly shocked by the RW anecdote. All of those works require an orchestra (sorry, organ reduction would be very sorry). Even many university choirs don't have an companion orchestra who will invariably team up with them each season.

All of those works (along with other warhorses like the the other classical Mass setings, the JSB Passions and oratorios, Handel oratorios, Brahms requiem, et cet.) *are* staples of well-funded secular concert choruses; in each major city those choruses invariably rotate (with fingers crossed) who's doing what each season. (I have a number of friends in such choruses; very few of them actively run a music program at a church. Many of them have done time in better church choirs in the area, but not as organist or director of music.) Now, the question is how many of those attendees at the RW master class spent much time in such cities.

Happily, the repertoire of chant and polyphony doesn't entail the same logistical limitations as the warhorse repertoire.