I just took a job at a parish and am in charge of enhancing the music program there. Our pastor sometimes celebrates the EF. Music at this parish has been the responsibility of an organist for the past 5 years. Although never officially called "music director", and only being paid per Mass, she has virtually been working in the capacity of music director. She plans all the music, and schedules the minimally paid cantors. She also directs the adult choir, which sings about three times a year and is paid per head. The organist is 75, quite competent, and has previously taught music theory at fairly prestigious colleges.

I come into the parish as a young professional vocalist, director of a diocesan chant program, children's choir director, and music teacher at the elementary school. I am forming a children's choir, will be starting a women's chant schola for the 8 AM Sunday Mass, and will be cantoring most Masses. I will be responsible for most of the organization of the music program as a whole, and as time goes on will hopefully be taking more and more of the other music responsibilities. However, I have minimal keyboard skills, and need this organist very much. We also do not want her to feel edged out of her role at the parish. She is a dear woman, and has given much of her time freely. She is competent, but not the sort of person to build a big music program on, and she knows that.

So, the dilemma: what to call our respective job positions?