Seeking Wisdom: Navigating Parish and School Politics as a Dual Music Director and Teacher (sorry for the long read)

I find myself in a unique and increasingly difficult position that I hope others here might understand—or at least help me make sense of. I serve as both the music director of a parish and the music teacher at its attached Pre-K–8 Catholic school. It’s a rare privilege, but lately, it has felt more like a tightrope walk.

I began as the part-time school music teacher near the end of the pandemic, and for a year I collaborated with the former music director and helped with the children’s choir. When he moved to Chicago (his wife began a DMA at Northwestern), I naturally stepped into the music director role. That same year, the parish transitioned from Gather (3rd Edition) to Source & Summit. I wasn’t behind the decision, but I came to embrace it wholeheartedly—especially its use of antiphons, chant, and its thoughtful hymn selection. With mentorship, liturgical documents, and some trial and error, I began forming a music program centered on the principles of singing the Mass—not just singing at Mass.

My first year as both teacher and director was hard but fruitful: one school Mass with music a month, a capable adult choir, skilled cantors, and growing enthusiasm from students. A fall concert, Christmas concert, a spring staged musical. In my second year I introduced Missa de Angelis, and it caught on faster than I could have hoped. Before I even arrived at the school, the students were already familiar with the Latin mass parts from the Missa Primativa, and I began seeing real musical and spiritual growth, particularly in one class I’ve taught consistently now over three years. That group has grown into a truly exceptional children’s choir. This year, we launched a Girls' Schola and now have a pool of young cantors who serve at both school and parish liturgies.

But everything changed this past year.

We welcomed an interim principal (after the previous one was fired) and also lost the priest who had hired me—he left on sabbatical. The resulting leadership vacuum left me reporting to two people new to the community, to the liturgy, and new to Source & Summit. Tensions emerged, particularly around school liturgies.

First the principal requested having music at every weekly school mass, not just once a month. I saw that as an opportunity, though it involved a lot more work. But it didn't take long for her to begin asserting control over the music planning, often pushing for popular “feel-good” hymns like "Here I Am, Lord" or "Christ Be Our Light", arguing that students need to "know the songs", and ALL of them should sing in order to participate. She expressed discomfort with the use of Latin—despite the fact that the students had already been singing Latin Mass parts for years and were quite comfortable with it. She saw even a the few minutes of Latin during a one hour mass as a barrier to participation. By contrast, I saw it as a way of forming our students in the Church’s musical and liturgical tradition. The content within Source & Summit has proven to be an effective teaching tool as well, introducing plainchant to children, making it easier for them to learn and read modern notation, and even discover and decipher the original chant notation. Like with the parish, changes like this take time, and I was shocked by the principal's urgency to change things to suit her personal taste when it really shouldn't be a high priority in her first year as principal.

Thankfully, the new priest did step in to support keeping Latin chant during Advent and Lent—but the overall experience has been deflating. For the first time, I feel like my vocation has been reduced to taking requests. Like being someone's personal DJ. After a few contentious meetings, and agreeing to disagree, the principal has since taken to calling herself the “spiritual leader” of the school, though she hasn’t clearly defined what that means in liturgical practice. What’s more painful is that previous principals never interfered with liturgy planning at all, and the two previous directors who are now close friends and colleagues of mine were allowed to use their knowledge and expertise with advice but not overreaching oversight. I sought their advice at the end of the year along with some of my other colleagues and former employers, who were all universally surprised—if not dismayed—by what I shared. They encouraged me to continue advocating for sacred music and proper liturgy, even when it’s uncomfortable.

Now, I’m at a crossroads. I want to continue the good work I’ve begun with these students. I still believe in the mission of forming young Catholics through the beauty of sacred music. But I’m weary. I sometimes wonder if I’m clinging too tightly to ideals and trying too hard to “do things right,” when I should just go along to get along.

Has anyone here navigated something similar? How do you balance fidelity to the liturgy with institutional politics—especially when working across both school and parish spheres? Is there a way to maintain hope and integrity without burning out?