To "seed hope and encouragement," as some have suggested:

This Sunday, some three years on from my taking this post, we sang the principal Mass with a choir consisting of 11 children choristers of the parish as trebles and six members of the parish vocal ensemble singing ATB beneath them.

My pseudo-lay-clerks and I chanted the Proper Antiphons (Introit in Latin and Communio in English). We sang a polyphonic third repetition on each invocation of the Kyrie SATB and the ICEL Chants in English (except with the Danish Amen, as one cannot ever guarantee presbyteral singing in my location, and I strongly believe in a sung Amen at this point, be it great or not); the trebles sang the invocations on the Lamb of God, as well as introducing the Gospel Acclamation, which was sung rousingly and with full organ to an adapted Nigerian tune.

I even got in the Offertory during the (somewhat misplaced) dismissal of the catechumens! :)

When I looked around at the 17 singers in the gallery, I realized that, three years ago, when I began work here, only one of these singers was involved in parish music at that time, and only two of them had ever been involved in the parish music before. My choir for Stations of the Cross on Fridays of Lent has grown from myself, my wife, and four friends from outside the parish to a potluck of (mostly in-parish) singers, getting each week an average of 10-12 singers from a pool of about 20. We have been able to tackle such repertoire as the Byrd Ave Verum, the Bruckner Vexilla Regis, and the Victoria O Vos Omnes, as well as a movement of the Rheinberger Stabat Mater in G minor and some simpler pieces (such as "Do Not Lament Me, O Mother," from the Byzantine Holy Saturday liturgy, which we sing at the 14th Station).

The Entrance and Communion Propers are now chanted at every Mass, and printed in the service folders, and the response to these has been the adoption of a prayerful attitude of silence before Masses and appreciation from those (not necessarily few) parishioners who do understand why this is so important.

The parish school choir has risen from the dead, and has a talented pool of about 12-14 singers, including 4 absolutely marvelous 6th graders.

We have returned without incident to the use of the Lectionary Psalms from psalm paraphrases (largely by using these paraphrases at other points in the liturgy as congregational hymns, which from a perspective of length and text is much more apt). We have vested the choirs decently, and all the ensembles, including the Parish "Adult" Choir that I initially inherited are growing (from 7-9 and no altos, one bass, and one tenor to 12-18 singers and three altos, two basses, and three to four tenors) and have a very high and positive sense of morale, purpose, and direction.

This is at a normal parish that would never consider a Mass in the Extraordinary Form, that uses Gather Comprehensive II, and is perfectly normal in nearly every way. So be encouraged; it is possible.

Share your stories! LAETAMINI!