ryand,
Both ends of the split imply, to me, that the job will essentially be "about" collaboration and relationship. You might think of questions you would ask of your interviewers along those lines, eg.
*Besides basic skills acquisition and performance goals, what fundamental outcomes are expected of the K-8 students as regards understanding their role as worshipping members at school and parish Masses, etc.? What foundational literature would best formulate the crossover effect from student to faith-filled, participating worshipper among the grade levels at the school? Does the DM want the student body to learn, comprehend and demonstrate competence in the major forms of musical worship: chant, hymn and song (and their derivatives)?
*As assistant to the DM, do you know the management modes of the DM, his/her history as a liturgical/sacred musician, the leadership strengths in personnel and musical areas the DM demonstrates, etc. Find out what you can in advance. Ask if there is a repository or record of orders of music, and how far back in years does it chronicle? Try to subtlely discern what the interviewers/DM would deem as "essentially CATHOLIC" music? And in a similar way, inquire whether the DM/pastor/? would hazard a vision of whether CATHOLIC MUSIC evolves of itself, or is informed by tradition and articulated goals noted in various documents. If you can get that far, daresay ask if anyone has a taxonomy of documents and/or personal influences that guides their duties in choosing and leading music in the parish liturgies.

And hope that Carl Dierschow plugs into your thread soon!

Ryand, I think the real mark of a good interviewee, as Charles suggests, is the questions he asks. I was told that, in the interview which got me my current job, what impressed them the most was that I clearly indicated how much I knew about the position in advance. I researched them up and down, and asked questions which confirmed my own suspicions.

Some other questions I asked recently:
*What is your long term goal (5-10 years) for the parish?
*What is your long term goal for the music at your parish?
*What makes your parish unique?

Something else I read, that I had prepared for prior interviews, is to be prepared for my least favorite question: "So, tell us about yourself." What I've read is that you should have a clear, short, purpose statement as to what you're doing in the interview and why they should hire you: "I'm an organ student seeking employment in such-and-such metropolitan area. I have a history of excellence in working for churches like yours and I have the practical knowledge to excel at your parish." THEN, continually hit those points: experience, knowledge, whatever it is you "bring to the table."

And don't be afraid to ask of yourself, constantly, "do I want this job?" Too often, we go into interviews just worried about whether they like us, and next thing you know you're singing Be Not Afraid into a microphone on the console for $45/week! So don't be afraid to grill them back!

My wife did three interviews for full-time DM positions within just a few weeks' time and the question that all three parishes asked was this: "How would you describe your approach to conflict management? And can you describe a situation where you solved a conflict or problem using this approach?"

This is straight out of the business world, and I'm not sure it really has a place in a DM interview; yet how you answer really can say a lot about you. For me, it's probably a good idea to use the word "pastor" in your response.

Also, they probably won't ask you the questions you think they *should* ask, since, unlike interviewers in the corporate world, they don't do this very often and there isn't a guidebook.

Best of luck to you!

In my experience, conflict management is HUGELY important for a DM. That's business language, of course, but the same skill.

Charles's last point is what I meant when I said that it doesn't have a place in an interview.

I had this interview today. Please pray re: the results.
Decisions will not be made until late June.

I appreciate everyone's help and/or input about this. The interview actually went entirely differently than expected ... different questions (than these) were fielded to me, and there was no opportunity for my own ... but at least this thread helped me think about those topics which came up - if even in a roundabout way.

If you will, please keep me in your prayers. I could really use the work. Thanks again, to everyone, for your help/input.

Nothing too surprising. What I thought was odd was at they seemed to focus entirely on what I've done at other parishes - which, honestly, are very different than theirs, and my role has been very different. I'd expect a little bit of that - what experience do you have, etc - but it was entirely about that. Nothing was asked about what I COULD do for them, and nothing was said about what exactly they were expecting. I had a list of questions myself that would have taken care of that, but they never asked.

What was most effective on my part was emphasizing the various roles at different parishes, and framing them in light of a DM level of experience. While I've not yet held a position as DM, I've done everything that I could think of that would be a part of the position. I also tried to emphasize how I could adapt to the various parishes, their music, and my roles at each - that way, they'd ask themselves "Why can't he fit in just as well here?"

I play the Dupre "Placare Christe Servulis" for auditions. It's flashy, impressive, kind of tonal, and, most importantly, short.

I usually just play an excerpt, though.

Sort of like the 16 bar Broadway audition?