"So - unless you are in a large professional musical team, ensure that people can fall back on these simple resources, it is always possible to be involved in a traffic accident on your way to church, have a contingency plan which people know how to deploy."

This should be part of every MD's mission.

Instrumentalists are often (in my day, typically) schooled in being required in rehearsals to play alone in the presence of the entire band/orchestra, and getting less freaked out by it. (Heck, junior-ranking members of an instrumental section could challenge the first/principal; the band/orchestral equivalent of a duel.) It's a shame that many choristers, by contrast, have never been given the practical opportunity to overcome their anxieties about it.

It's a shame that many choristers, by contrast, have never been given the practical opportunity to overcome their anxieties about it.

Mine are given plenty of opportunity to sing in front of the choir/congregation. I can count on one hand the number who have taken me up on it in 4 years, and three of those souls are high schoolers.

The little mission church in my parish was very accustomed to singing hymns unaccompanied. There were 4 gentlemen who rotated as lectors for the Masses and they would announce the hymn and start off and the 30 or 40 parishioners who were present would immediately join in. These gentlemen were not really singers, but the expectation to sing had been well established and so everyone present did their part.

I am a long-time cantor at my church and sing for most of the funerals as well. I also perform with a secular trio. The music director/organist and Father want the entrance antiphon chanted a capella during Lent. I do it but it makes me more nervous than anything else I do all year long! It is a matter of practice, as I found it a little easier this year than last.

Chonak,

I'm being incredibly thick. What does your post have to do with the rest of the thread? (I assume that it does, and I'm being serious about being dense.)

Very sensible suggestions, now that I've understood what you're proposing. Thank you for clarifying.

And then there’s the full-time director who WANTS & NEEDS to restore & refresh, but the pastor restricts vacation. According to diocesan human resources & parish employee handbook, I am entitled to 3 weeks vacation.
Now, it is my understanding, that ‘vacation’ is time off from when you work - yes?
Well, pastor will permit days off, but only two Saturdays & two Sundays the entire year. I am the only musician & he doesn’t permit subs for ANY reason
(Even missed my first grandchild’s Baptism. “Work around it - church comes first.”)
Anyway, back to vacation: any advice or thoughts? Is it fair & proper that my 3 weeks of vacation should include 3 weekends? Many thanks - I have great respect for all of you!

Three solid weeks (including Sundays) paid vacation are standard. Four weeks if you've been there for more than five years. A sub in your absence is standard. Your priest is abusing you.

The parish is required to follow Diocesan directives regarding things like this, which usually are in line with state law. My Diocese only permits two weeks unpaid vacation for lay employees, plus Christmas and Easter (which, obviously, doesn't pertain to musicians), and the usual federal holidays.

So check with the Diocesan HR people, they might be able to help you.

(Even missed my first grandchild’s Baptism. “Work around it - church comes first.”)
Anyway, back to vacation: any advice or thoughts? Is it fair & proper that my 3 weeks of vacation should include 3 weekends? Many thanks - I have great respect for all of you!

How many weekends a year does your priest get off? I know a musician who in his retirement year actually got Christmas Eve and Day off.

We church musicians so rarely get to take a vacation, let alone have any kind of weekend (meaning two days back to back off) with funerals, meetings, rehearsals, weddings, etc....

The way I've handled the Holiday hours is I put on the time sheet (I know, I know I'm exempt but still have a time sheet) the actual hours I work, and add the "holiday" hours to that total so on Christmas Eve and Day I end up with about 32 or more hours worked those two days and then just adjust my schedule for the rest of that week. When Christmas is on a Monday it is essentially 40 hours worked in two days.

The bigger issue I am having is while quality substitutes are rare to come by, the HR people of the Diocese essentially demand each person who gets a check is hired as an employee... so background checks, fingerprinting, 45 minute minimum youth protection training, formal application.... and several more items that no one is willing to endure just to play a single Mass or funeral.... and the powers that be have yet to figure out why we cannot get any musicians.

I get two weeks paid vacation, weekends if I want, although I generally choose not to take weekends off. I get a quite a few holidays off, but since they almost always fall on my day off, my pastor allows me to trade them for another day. Also, since it is diocesan policy that I never work more than 40 hours a week (try that around Christmas!) I get to roll over extra time to the next week and take it off then. I should be getting a third week of paid vacation in a couple years.

Which would be just fine for some pastors.