Tips for New Parish Music Directors
  • ajglotz
    Posts: 1
    Hello everyone,

    My name is Andrew, and I am a freshly-minted parish music director (hired September 2025). I'm interested in picking the brains of all you seasoned, experienced music directors who have been around the parochial block!

    I'll save you the long story, but the short of it is that I do not have a music degree or any other experiences that I tell myself would make me a more "competent" music director. The only things I am relying on are 18 years of piano and 4 years of seminary formation... and the grace of God, by golly ;)

    Nowadays, I am up to my neck in learning hymns on the organ and trying my best to lead choir rehearsals. I'd never played any hymn-style music until this job, and the sheer glut of hymnody needed to last a liturgical year has me learning music at an unsustainable pace and with a less-than-desirable quality. And even with the most thorough of rehearsal, the adrenaline of sitting on the bench during the ever onward-moving liturgy brings about a discouraging amount of mistakes; boy, do I wish I had a choir loft instead of being positioned at the front of the congregation.

    Working with the choir has also been stressful and sometimes disappointing because I don't know how to teach them. I have natural musical instincts and a lot of training, but transferring that onto a group of volunteers from the parish rarely ends with the product I have in mind. The only pedagogical methods I employ are the ones that stuck with me from my college choir directors and my voice teacher, which do not last me an entire rehearsal. I feel I improvise in front of the choir more than I do on the bench!

    I'm just hoping that perhaps some of you more experienced musicians can give some advice to one just starting out: whether it's "do's and don'ts" or helpful anecdotes. It's a daunting feeling to know that I'm the one calling all the shots while also not knowing how to shoot. Thanks in advance!
    Thanked by 2AdteBeateJoseph3 Chant_Supremacist
  • AdteBeateJoseph3
    Posts: 76
    Hey Andrew! Yes, things can get overwhelming and frustrating when you have an ideal but then reality strikes and what you want doesn't happen.

    Now, I don't know your exact circumstances, your choir's abilities, your own abilities exactly besides what you have just related above, but one tip in regards to rehearsals is to have game plan and a structure beforehand. You should never, never, never stand in front of a choir during rehearsal without at least some frame work in mind. Time is too precious to waste. A sample plan would be for example: from 5 to 5:15 is prayer and a good warmup. 5:15 to 5:25 work on one hymn, etc, always saving the easy stuff for last (it usually boosts a choir's morale to do something they know extremely well after working hard on a new or difficult piece/hymn). That's just planning for a rehearsal. What you do with at the rehearsal-what warmups to do, what vocal techniques to focus on, etc, -that's another question...but I'm happy to share more if you want to DM me.
    Thanked by 3CHGiffen Charles Chant_Supremacist
  • Chant_Supremacist
    Posts: 275
    I'm not very experienced in leading a music ministry (2 years) so I shouldn't be saying anything, but it's hard to resist.

    -Make a spreadsheet with the entire year's music laid out in advance
    -Print out everything (well, 95% of everything, things always come up) you'll need for the year in advance
    -Basically, frontload everything you can
    -As mentioned, have a game plan for every rehearsal. And leave some time in every rehearsal to work on demanding stuff that might be several weeks out
    -Don't be too ambitious, you're working with amateurs, at least one of your sections is a weak link, key people will sometimes move away.. maybe your dream is to lead a choir in Allegri's Misere Mei but be realistic and never, ever put your choir in a position where a piece might fall apart during the liturgy
    -Have lots of pencils around
    -For motets, my system is usually (1) jump into it with the whole choir and just see what happens, sometimes they more or less get through it, sometimes it falls apart in bar two, (2) isolate parts, (3) isolate problem areas in each part, (4) put it back together, (5) repeat (6) add dynamics once they know the music, and probably keep it simple
    -Allow some chatter sometimes but not too much
    -When conducting, be vigorous, precise (I've seen a lot of mushy handwaving where nobody can tell where the beat is exactly), and even physically dramatic
    -IME there's very little time for vocal technique, they mostly have to pick it up gradually through meeting the demands of each piece along with a few cues from you
    -Don't sweat mistakes too much, as long as it didn't fall apart. The frenetic performance cycle means mistakes are inevitable and frequent. If you haven't already, develop the ability to mentally note your mistakes and then move on immediately with no emotion.
    -At the end of the year, swap out maybe 10-25% of your repertoire for new and better

    Looking forward to posts from others.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • TimTheEnchanterTimTheEnchanter
    Posts: 232
    I am also a music director without a music degree. I have been full-time at my current parish for nearly five years, and was part-time at a prior parish for four. I will let others handle the more nuts-and-bolts stuff, but I had a thought:

    It may help to be in a separate choir yourself just as a member, whether it's a community choir or a diocesan choir or something like that. Apart from my own experiences, I have learned the most from two things, first by being the accompanist in a choir, then by being a member of the diocesan chorale. I watched the directors and if I experienced something I liked, that I saw choir members respond positively to, then I tried to model it.

    Same thing with going to Colloquia, of which I have been now to ... six, I think.
    Thanked by 2Chant_Supremacist CHGiffen
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