Reasonable Salary Ranges in 2025
  • THIS IS NOT A POLITICAL POST, NOR A RANT OR COMPLAINT - JUST RUNNING SOME NUMBERS OUT OF CURIOSITY!

    Please don't waste time or space derailing this in a political direction. Inflation is a reality that affects our employment, and its effects are worth calmly considering.

    That said:

    An earlier post on substitute rates included a link to a Chicago archdiocesan guideline on musician employment. Picking apart the many flaws of that document would be an interesting subject for yet another thread (e.g. a highly skilled organist/choral conductor ranks lower on their scale than someone who has guitar/voice/piano, because the latter has three and the former only two instruments). BUT it got me curious about numbers and inflation, after over a decade in the field fulltime, and rather than derail that thread I thought I'd share my perspective.

    When I got into the field fulltime after graduation, in 2012, I was very invested in watching the national job market and comparing things, and applying to a number of jobs. There seemed to be a pretty standard and clear 3-tier breakdown for fulltime pay back then, with, of course, some extreme outliers on either end:

    Bachelors/Low-to-mid Responsibility/Prominence: $35k-$50k/year
    Masters/Mid Responsibility/Prominence: $50k-$60k/year
    Doctorate/Mid-to-High Responsibility/Prominence: $60k-$75k/year

    Your experience may vary, but I think that's a very reasonable assessment based on a lot of comparison of jobs. I keep up on the market still, largely through my alumni job posting newsletter, through Notre Dame. That is not totally comprehensive, but it's a very well-curated list and ranges from small parishes to cathedrals and universities. When I pull up the US Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI Inflation Calculator and enter the numbers above I get the following in December 2024 dollars (and I do see these numbers borne out in the current national market):

    Bachelors/Low-to-mid Responsibility/Prominence: $48k-$68k/year
    Masters/Mid Responsibility/Prominence: $68k-$82k/year
    Doctorate/Mid-to-High Responsibility/Prominence: $82k-$100k/year

    Of course, there are many many variables, especially when you get into part-time, cost of living, etc., etc. I just think it's a worthwhile thing to talk about - with real numbers. Like in the good old days, when the AGO pay scale hadn't been shut down by the feds! I think more calm, collected conversations with real numbers and ranges would be great for us and for our employers alike.

    Side note - this is also why it is valuable to make sure there is some provision for cost of living bumps in your contract. Those little 1, 1.5, 2% increases reflect reality and just wages, and they really do make a difference when you stay in a job for a while.

    EDIT: Again, I'm talking about FULLTIME jobs that are posted in a job search. I understand these may be higher and more serious than jobs that get filled through word of mouth locally.

  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,471
    The AGO thing was an egregious antitrust abuse. I’m generally pro-FTC, but then look what happens.

    Some of our members are also saddled with a ton of admin duties. Even if someone else does printing and folding, making scores and materials for the congregation takes hours (even when you get into a rhythm). And it has to be done even if you get the flu.

    That will change the calculus somewhat. One that pastors do not always get. I don’t think that it’s a competition to see whose Sunday/week is the most demanding, but it’s not exactly pegged to the number of Sunday services, although playing every day and having additional choral responsibilities during the week will change things (our average of around 1.2 sung Masses a week is skewed by gaps of three to six weeks with one weeknight Mass, or none, then some Masses with schola alone, and finally the busy season from Holy Week to Precious Blood, sometimes with three Masses in a week).

    Pastors can be terrible judges of that too, whether it’s service volume per Sunday/weekend, the kind of music expected, having the DM direct at Masses where you can’t really repeat things from one to the next. And so on.
  • MarkB
    Posts: 1,096
    These links are germane:

    https://www.dioceseoflansing.org/sites/default/files/2017-03/MusicMinisterSalaryGuide2015.pdf

    https://npm.org/wp-content/uploads/NPM-Hiring-a-Director-of-Music-Ministries-A-Handbook-and-Guide-2025-Edition-.pdf

    https://npm.org/2025/01/23/press-release-npm-releases-updated-hiring-guides-for-parish-musicians-directors-of-music/

    I encourage music directors to reevaluate and adjust their funeral and wedding stipends annually to keep up with inflation. I know some directors who have been receiving the same stipends for fifteen years. $100 doesn't cut it anymore. Weekly groceries for a family are often more than $200. A family dinner at a restaurant can easily also cost $200. Auto mechanic labor is now about $200 per hour in my area. Funerals and weddings are expensive, and families should not expect to short the musician. I do offer a free funeral music option (exclusively the proper chants in Latin or English), but no family has ever selected that; they prefer to choose songs, and they pay for that option.

    Also, if you can persuade your pastor to stop buying annual OCP missalette subscriptions, that will save the parish many thousands of dollars per year, which could be reallocated to the music director's salary.

  • Thanks for those links, Mark

    It's interesting that the first link is to an old NPM guide, which uses the 2013 AGO salary scale (possibly upped to 2015 levels with interest adjustments?). The numbers there match pretty well with the simplified ranges I suggested above.

    Then come the updated, current NPM links, which note that they cannot offer a salary range because they are a non-profit. It's frustrating, because generally the NPM document does a very good job of walking, say, a priest or parish council through the considerations. But without actual numbers, it's easy for said priest or council to just make something up. Maybe based on what the priest remembers about salaries 20 years ago, when he was working before going into seminary! That was kind of the point of my post - actual numbers are helpful and necessary to get this conversation started. I'll also say that I really like the NPM paragraph on compensation, with its emphasis on actual cost of living, being able to afford a home, etc., but it still is lacking specifics:

    "There are many factors that go into deciding how much you should compensate a Director of Music Ministries. At a minimum, a salary for a full-time position should allow a person to purchase a home, raise a family, pay for student debt, etc. The professional members of the search committee may be able to assist the committee in understanding what is a just salary for someone living in the area. Beyond the minimum salary, many factors, such as the qualifications and experiences a candidate can bring, will demand a higher level of compensation. In the overall compensation of the Director of Music Ministries, benefits are provided in addition to the salary. If certain benefits (for example, health, vision, dental, paid leave, retirement) are not provided, then the salary should compensate for those deficiencies. The local diocesan office of worship or employment office may provide salary guidelines and benefit requirements. As a non-profit association, NPM cannot provide salary guidelines in the form of specific figures."
  • Jeffrey Quick
    Posts: 2,112
    As a non-profit association, NPM cannot provide salary guidelines in the form of specific figures.

    I'm not a lawyer, so I have to ask: what does being a non-profit have to do with it? I could understand "The AGO thing put a big damper on us and we don't want to be mistaken for a cartel." Or maybe they can't even say that. But it would be refreshing to live in a society where one could say what needs to be said.
  • This does not appear to be entirely germane to your post, but as an aside... As someone who "just" has a Bachelor's Degree, (I got into the field rather quickly and never had a chance to leave and go pursue more formal education), I always bristle a little when the distinction between a Bachelor's degree, a Master's, and a Doctorate are the main determining factor for a salary difference. When I finally went back to start pursuing a Master's, I figured out that I was at a wonderful parish that had a thriving music program but that was financially not going to be able to offer me anything beyond what they already were (beyond small cost of living bumps). To go massively into debt to never actually re-coup the losses was not something I could financially justify doing to my family. Keep learning and growing? Absolutely and with pleasure! But a full degree program and all its related costs? Not possible...

    I knew a professor of voices who had his doctorate. He was known as the "Voice Butcher" and had a reputation as being someone you'd want to avoid at all costs. Another man in the same town directed choir and taught voices lessons at a local Catholic school/parish and had the most wonderful, thriving program, and he did this without even finishing his B.A. in Music!

    This isn't to be anti-education at all, but just to say that EXPERIENCE and documentable evidence of one's work, (in addition to his philosophy, theology, pedagogy, organizational skills, etc...) should be the primary motivating factor. All of this can be done, it seems, by having pastors work with consultants who are knowledgeable about Sacred Music and its integration into the liturgical life of the Church and who can help ask the candidates particular questions. Digging more-deeply into his references can be a valuable help.
  • My degree is an AAS in a completely unrelated field. But I have 24 years of solid sacred music experience, a strong portfolio of audio and video recordings of my choral work, a pretty extensive rep of organ lit and lots of recordings to back it up, a deep knowledge of both EF & OF liturgy and the associated church documents, and a resume that includes things like directing a professional choir and schola for an EF ordination conferred by Cdl. Burke, contributing to sacred music blogs, faculty appearances at sacred music conferences, multiple concert appearances, assistant organist role at a cathedral basilica for several years, etc. I've never been afraid to apply for DM jobs that require advanced degrees. And I've never had it come up as a problem with the portfolio I can produce.

    Like Jacob, I'm not anti-formal music ed. It's just not the track I took through the zigs and zags of my life and career. What I have done is put in the work to establish my track record and capabilities, do a ton of networking, and build a strong reputation. And I think there are others like me out there. To them I say: apply for the job anyway, and negotiate a fair salary anyway. Do I have every bit of specialized knowledge a DSM has? Probably not. It's never kept me from building solid, faithful, and capable parish music programs. I agree with Jacob that level of credential should only be one of many considerations in compensation (and even job consideration for that matter).

    [enter firing squad of advanced degree-holders] ;-)
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,471
    I have worked with people who needed more training to do more, I think. It is particularly an issue if you can’t play organ. However I know people with “just” a bacehlor’s (BA or BM) who are fantastic, world-class musicians and faithful Catholics. I know DMAs who are not worth hiring despite the degree. I know people in between, and I know people with a DMA where that was a bonus and where I’d want them any day and twice on Sunday. (Wait a minute!)
  • To be clear, (and I thought of this later) my first comment is not in any way a snarky comment at the OP. Jared is awesome and does an amazing job at his home base (I know it well) - they are BLESSED to have him! His depth of knowledge from his experience and study is an amazing asset for his parish and diocese.

    In some ways I feel like George Bailey from It's a Wonderful Life. I had/have always wanted to leave Bedford Falls (the church music scene, at least temporarily) so I could go out and "see things and build things" (a further degree) but then the darn Bailey Building and Loan (particular church job need) comes calling and I have to drop those plans; it's both frustrating but simultaneously rewarding... :)
  • Thanks Jacob :) - I didn't take it that way at all. And I'll say, as someone who did go through and finish doctorate, that I completely agree with your and ContraBombarde's assessment. That's why I prefer to group my salary ranges by the interchangeable categories of degree/responsibility level/prominence. To me it's more about what's needed in a particular place, and whether you can do that well.

    Plenty of people with organ doctorates are hyper-specialized as virtuoso organists, and don't really know anything about running a program, conducting a choir, or liturgical/musical context. That can be fine if they are hired as just the organist at a very large program, but it's no help if they are in charge of everything.

    I'll also add - the music doctorate is much more prevalent in the USA, as is the hyper-specialization problem. Plenty of organists from Europe with "only" a bachelors or master's are fantastic and well-rounded church musicians, excellent improvisers, etc.

    As a funny counter-example, though, I knew a guy whose qualifications (I'm not making this up) were years of experience playing piano-bar music on cruise ships. Great Catholic guy, though, and I think that and his personality somehow landed him a large full-time music director job. He came to me asking if I could give him any pointers on running said program, in the few weeks before he shipped out. Needless to say, that situation fell apart very quickly.

    So it's hard. It's one of the hardest things when advising priests, to try to help them wade through all of this and know what to look for in a candidate. I might add, it's one of the more important things an organization like CMAA could help facilitate, navigating the middle ground between musical/academic snootiness and the total lack of care for qualifications that seems to exist in a lot of places.
  • HAHA! I laughed aloud at your counter-example, because that is so true! I have seen some cases of this "piano bar guy" mentality, too. :)
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,471
    I would say that Fr Gregerson (whom I know to be someone who cares deeply about the tradition and sacred music) has posted a good ad with a reasonable range, as if he also read this thread. FWIW.

    Also, write a good, concise, but useful cover letter. Having read stacks of these for a position where experience with the propers (including the chants between the readings) was a must.

    Explain what you are doing and how long you have been doing it, how you do it (not knowing Mocquereau or doing the Vatican Edition is one thing…but I was not really sure what people were doing). What do you do at Mass for choral and keyboard works. And what can you do if given more liberty. We didn’t want to micromanage, but “can you accompany a congregation that likes to sing chant” and “can you improvise”, or can you learn quickly, were not even close to being answered in these letters.

    That goes a long way to being considered and to getting more money imho.