Alright everyone. I am probably an overthinker slash sometimes in church things, you realize that so long as you are reasonable, a budget is a suggestion, not a hard requirement. My parish will be hosting a workshop this year. (Watch this space!)
Budget: how do you come up with one that actually makes sense? Paper copies of handouts separate from a book are négligeable. If we do print a book, it’s probably spiral bound via Office Depot/Staples (I use Staples, but the church account is Office Depot) and that price is likely around $15 or $20. Food: well, I need to know how many people are coming if we do anything more complicated than boxed sandwiches (which I personally hate), and some coffee/tea/hot chocolate, cookies, other snacks etc., and paper goods are just extra items to pick up at Costco, which the office would do for me. There’s the fixed cost of whatever it costs to pay the workshop’s featured musician (hotel, airfare, nicer meals outside of workshop time, etc.). I suppose name tags, markers, writing supplies as a courtesy…anything needed by the instructor(s)…
We’ve never done this before, and the last even I ran here was so small that we just chipped in as individuals or the parish didn’t really fuss.
Getting everything done how do you do it without just doing it yourself?? I’m sure that this temptation is there for all of us. I’ll probably make the booklet since I can use Gregorio (at least for the parts of any offices; I don’t know what our guest musician will want). I’ll make the flyer and send it out. There’s set-up, clean-up, taking out trash; setting up in the church and then tearing down (we won’t be on our normal schedule so I’ll either have to pitch in or get extra help to do this).
Other supplies like water on ice (unfortunately we have space to host events, but cold water requires coolers), keeping coffee flowing…it can all be done, but I feel bad asking the same three people to help me, and that’s if I don’t do it myself.
Our parish is a commuter parish located in a fairly bustling and (mostly) safe neighborhood with, for now, ample parking and access via taxi/rideshare, including space for anyone who helps bring in large equipment or a minivan with the coolers or Costco load. So that aspect isn’t so bad. We have plenty of tables and chairs, a sufficient photocopier (and we’ll be able to arrange for internet, speakers, projector etc.). But we’re not the kind of parish with an attached parochial school in a modern building with a cafeteria where these things take care of themselves (especially having a full commercial kitchen…).
Thanks for your help, and I promise to have more information asap. I’m very excited.
In many parishes, building congregational singing skill is a long-term project requiring frequent practice and 'reinforcement.' If those are the circumstances I actually don't think a once in a blue moon, high effort workshop is the right approach. But of course your situation and goals may be different.
I run a 30 minute session every third Sunday after mass. Attendance is 15-30. I pick from something upcoming in the hymnal, and work on it with them. There is no printing, snacks or beverages, no theory or history, and minimal planning and coordination. January was Ave Regina Caelorum. Tomorrow will probably focus on Mass XVII Kyrie A.
In May I will be doing a special history/theory presentation for the youth group, with a practical aspect. I don't particularly think this will meaningfully bolster congregational singing, it's just something the priest wants me to do that could maybe plant seeds.
We sing Mass and Vespers weekly but it’s also not just for our parishioners.
And I’m sorry but I’m not spending thirty minutes after Mass without coffee and treats.
Anyway I should also point out that people don’t always like to come when it’s the regular musicians. The novelty is the point. It happens that the expertise and depths of knowledge helps me and the schola out too.
Here's a routine reminder: Be discriminating but don't nitpick.
I held a two workshops in my 2+ decades at my church. I'm not sure how, but everything worked out. I asked three people to help host. I can't remember exactly, but I think we had two smaller sessions a large session and then everyone switched. The workshop was about the propers of the mass and the liturgy of the hours. In the end we ended up with 50 or so people? And we sang for mass at 4:30. We offered lunch, which was provided by my choir members. Most people just brought something in a crockpot, plus bread and desserts (from Costco, I think).
We did have a spiral bound book, but my speakers brought their own handouts too.
If you have at least 25 books to print, 48hrbooks.com is pretty good. That's what I have used in the past. Way less expensive than printing at staples, etc. and much nicer finished product. I did a quick cost estimate at their site: For 25 copies of a 52 page 8.5 x 11 (black and white) book with perfect binding, the total cost (including shipping to a TN zip code) was $253.81, or about $10/person including shipping. Tax will be added, so it will be a bit more at the end. Their minimum number is 10 copies, but I'm thinking it might not be worth it for that number.
Copying on the parish copy machine is always cheaper, of course, but does require the purchase of binders and someone to put all the printed pages in the binders. If the book really only consists of the music you'll need for Mass, that might be the way to go. I have purchased 3-ring binders from Amazon for this and they worked fine...
If you ask for a few people to help you with hospitality (either choir members, or someone from the parish who is friendly to the choir), you'll be glad of that. Someone to keep the coffee brewing and replenish supplies as needed will be very helpful.
It’s our very first event of this kind as for the past five years we have been partially or fully deprived of any rooms to do anything besides the chapel. So it’s hard to say. We’ll have the parish. I’ll advertise in the diocesan paper (they enjoy stuff from our parish, actually, because of the novelty) and get it out to both friendly and potentially not-so-friendly church bulletins, DMs, etc. I’ll post here and on FB.
My goal is to have the office chants (bilingual) since we will be doing that. We can’t really do a Mass (there are reasons for this out of my control). But people can stay for our usual sung Mass and then Sunday Vespers.
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