Job Security
  • Maestro
    Posts: 2
    A great wrong was done to a colleague of mine by a middle of the state of Pennsylvania Catholic Diocese and by the rector of the cathedral of the diocese. A former employee of the cathedral (1992-1997), now retired from a full time music director position in the state of New Jersey, campaigned for the cathedral staff position (director of music). The former employee purchased a home in the next town for retirement of him and his wife. Observing that there were no open music director positions that suited him, he campaigned the diocese, his brother-in-law (who has a full time position with the diocese) and the rector of the cathedral suggesting he could improve the current music program at the cathedral. Eventually his campaigning and promoting himself paid off. The rector fired the present director of music of the cathedral over a minor incident where the music director was not paid for a wedding, including the cantor and trumpet player. Most of us have at one time or another had to "chase" the bride and groom after the wedding for stipends. Once the music director was fired, the job was never advertised. Two weeks later the retired musician from the state of New Jersey was hired as director of music of the cathedral.
    Thanked by 1chonak
  • RoborgelmeisterRoborgelmeister
    Posts: 307
    The American Guild of Organists has a code of ethics. Too bad all the parties involved haven't consulted them.
    Thanked by 1Maestro
  • TCJ
    Posts: 1,034
    The AGO has also blacklisted two Catholic parishes I know because said parishes removed their organists for scandals. AGO's code of ethics isn't Catholic. That said, apparently many Catholic churches code isn't either.
  • irishtenoririshtenor
    Posts: 1,404
    What a shame
    Thanked by 1Maestro
  • Aristotle EsguerraAristotle Esguerra
    Posts: 1,183
    Cf. Mt 18:7
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen Maestro
  • Susdem
    Posts: 3
    While it's a sad turn of events, we also don't know the full story. What we're getting here is second or even third hand. This comes across like an attempt to slander the cathedral rector and the incoming music director while keeping it just vague enough to claim that you aren't (though there aren't that many dioceses in Pennsylvania so specifying that it's in the middle of the state narrows it down quite a bit to the point of being able to figure out which diocese this is pretty easily). I would caution everyone to be very hesitant to engage in gossip, especially of a slanderous nature. It helps noone and can cause a significant amount of harm.

    I find it very unlikely that a cathedral, or any parish, would terminate a quality musician who was doing their job well over a trivial thing without any displeasure in the work prior to that date. If the incoming person from New Jersey was truly able to convince the rector that he could improve the state of the music program, it follows that the rector must have considered the music program in at least some need of improvement and was probably complaining about it. It sounds like the wedding stipend was just an excuse to terminate someone they already wanted to terminate and the former employee, whose work they would have been familiar with, was available. Not the most ethical way of going about it but also not uncommon in any field and since Pennsylvania is an at will state, they didn't legally need any reason to terminate his employment.
    Thanked by 7Marc Cerisier Aristotle Esguerra ServiamScores Abbysmum CHGiffen Roborgelmeister PaxMelodious
  • TimTheEnchanterTimTheEnchanter
    Posts: 230
    I find it odd that an account with one total post wrote this, and another account with one total post responded.
    Thanked by 11tandrews Diapason84 OMagnumMysterium ServiamScores Aristotle Esguerra Abbysmum CHGiffen Jeffrey Quick Liam irishtenor Chant_Supremacist
  • RoborgelmeisterRoborgelmeister
    Posts: 307
    The AGO Code of Ethics is found here:
    https://www.agohq.org/Ago/Ago/Careers/Code-of-Ethics.aspx?hkey=d3b180d3-45f4-4f2e-bf06-b332bcd2d949
  • Susdem
    Posts: 3
    I find it odd that an account with one total post wrote this, and another account with one total post responded.


    I did notice that the OP seemed to have created an account merely to post this. I will clarify that I am not in any way linked with this situation. I am a woman living and working in Wisconsin.

    In response to me only having one post before, this is the username that I had originally tried to get and was my preferred username. However, it got locked up in digital limbo for about two years for some weird reason. I eventually gave up on it and created another username - Organista25 - which allowed me to post. I recently got an email that the setup for this login was finally approved/completed/whatever term you want to use and had logged into it a while ago but not posted. My computer happened to have been into it when I saw this post and I just didn't bother to log out and log into the username I had previously posted under.

    I felt strongly about this particular issue because when I began my current position a few years ago - a position that had been open and advertised for over a year before I applied - there were a significant number of rumors spread around the parish that I was just a friend of the priest that he brought in without any real interview process whereas I was actually put through a very rigorous interview/audition process (I have a colleague of 26+ years in the field who said my interview process for my current position was the most intense he had seen). The rumors flew, though, and not only did most of the choir quit as soon as I was announced as the director but several parishioners left. All because of a rumor that was 100% false, thus my reminder about the dangers of slander.

    - Susan DeMarco (thus the username)
    Thanked by 6CHGiffen irishtenor Liam Jeffrey Quick ServiamScores Roborgelmeister
  • TimTheEnchanterTimTheEnchanter
    Posts: 230
    I appreciate the explanation, Susan. You can see how it looked from a distance. I am sorry that you had that experience.
    Thanked by 2Liam ServiamScores
  • jcr
    Posts: 148
    I really have no opinion regarding the case at issue here, but it does seem that in the many years since I was a student and had discussions with professors and other professionals in music in general there has been a radical deterioration in the area of professional, not to mention personal, ethics. I have personally avoided, as much as has been practical, membership in so-called professional organizations in part because they all lack the courage to put any kind of teeth in their "codes of ethics". The AGO has been an exception to this and they have experienced some considerable grief because of it.
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,090
    Secrecy in hiring church musicians feeds suspicion.
    Thanked by 5CHGiffen Maestro davido MatthewRoth Abbysmum
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 3,210
    I think that the problem is that people do get fired over things that are trivial, unrelated to the real issue, a successor is quickly brought on board…and sometimes the direction changes entirely, sometimes it doesn't.

    However: sometimes people do need to be let go, I get that the trivial reason is the straw that broke the camel's back, and pastors should be less afraid of accepting a smidge less knowing that qualified directors to lead the programs that many of us CMAA members and friends would wish to have are few and far between, and not all of those are good fits for every last parish wishing to have such a program.
    Thanked by 1CharlesW
  • Maestro
    Posts: 2
    Thanks for all who commented on my initial post. I wrote this as the assistant organist of that cathedral position. So I know the situation first hand, not through gossip. I have resigned as assistant organist since I am able to retire and do not want to continue working under a new director.
    Thanked by 1davido
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