Your musicians will respond to your interest in their service and how much you can appreciate what they already know. Do not let any one know you are changing anything. my experience: Using one set of psalm tones for the last 18 years has helped our whole parish. We are equipped to take on any liturgical text on the spot and sing it with dignity.

Also, you are far better off not having those "musicians" who quit because they were no longer able to be seen during Mass, due to the move up to the choir loft. That is repulsive.

One set of musicians left, largely due to the move to the loft and not being visible.

Bye, Felicia.

One of our accompanists passed away, and her daughters (who also sang) have understandably not returned.

Not your fault, and not much you can do except gingerly invite them back whenever they are ready. Let them know you'd be happy to have them back should they desire to return.

Another accompanist recently stepped down due to workload.

(So they say.) Again, not your fault, and not much you can do except keep lines of communication open and let them know that you'd be glad for them to enter into the fray again when they have the extra bandwidth to do so.

Several remaining musicians prefer to serve only about once a month.

We didn’t have a lot of musicians to begin with (especially accompanists). Now, we are stretched very thin trying to cover three weekend Masses, and I am personally taking on as much as I can while also feeling increasingly overwhelmed.

I am perpetually mystified by parishes that have a full rota of multiple accompanists. At every job I've ever had, I AM the accompanist (in addition to choir director and conductor, either from the console, or standing when a cappella). That's (typically) just part of the job. I have 4 masses a weekend.

I've read the phrase recently "being director of music does not mean "doer" of all music". A helpful concept, but with limited applicability when you're in a parish that doesn't have multiple people willing to help play. I know very well the stress of taking umpteen masses a weekend; welcome to the club.

I’m also running into challenges with the seasonal Mass setting rotation. Some musicians are uncomfortable learning multiple settings and aren’t willing to take the time/ don’t have the ability to learn more than the one singular setting they picked and have stuck with from the get-go.

There are two issues here. One is with them, and one is with you. Limit your mass settings. We do the same setting for Advent and Lent (XVII). We have one for ordinary time, and another festal setting. That's about it. That said, it took a few years of introducing these things gradually to get them all into rotation. They cannot all be dumped in one cycle. That said, issue number 2 is that the accompanists don't get to call the shots. If they know that you'll be doing such-and-such a setting for Advent, they need to pony up and learn it, and they'll have time to do so. Being an accompanist does not mean getting to cherry pick what you feel like playing. You're serving the liturgical life of the parish. In the places where I've served as accompanist, I've played what I was told.

I’ve started introducing some of this in small ways, and the move to the loft helped frame the conversation, but I’m very hesitant to add more right now when people are already stretched thin.

Don't push it too hard. We've all seen it time and time again: too much change, too fast, and the whole house of cards collapses. It is difficult to pump the breaks. Trust me, I know. You just want to hard pivot and do the good things... things that are objectively better and more liturgical in nature. But you have to bring them along for the ride.

One trick is to add without taking away. Spend one year chanting the communion antiphons before the communion hymn. Don't take away the communion hymn. And don't worry about any other antiphons. Just one year, unobtrusively adding simple antiphons (Fr. Weber's are excellent) in the vernacular. After a year or two of that, you can add in the entrance antiphon, again, alongside the entrance hymn. Either right before the hymn starts, or right as the priest reaches / incenses the altar. Then no one is threatened by the changes because nothing is being taken away from them. Chant them all yourself if you have to. But over the course of two years, the congregation will acquire a taste for the antiphons, and then no one will freak out if, during holy week, you only chant the antiphon and a motet because it's a special day. People will have a context for what is going on if you chant the latin version of the communio.

As for formation, start putting "Music Minutes" in the worship aid or bulletin. Begin explaining and quoting from conciliar documents. I've done this for two years and it has helped tremendously. People frequently tell me that they appreciate learning about the liturgy because no one has ever taught them. They also then can appreciate the changes because they understand why they are happening, and can see that it's not just you making stuff up or following your whims to their detriment.

I've read the phrase recently "being director of music does not mean "doer" of all music". A helpful concept, but with limited applicability when you're in a parish that doesn't have multiple people willing to help play. I know very well the stress of taking umpteen masses a weekend; welcome to the club.

We have benediction weekly outside of Vespers and there was adoration for an exceptional reason today. I was there anyway; instead of it being whatever we want, I much prefer to be involved and to make decisions (and sometimes ask a cantor to go, but as it happens I was available).

A full time teacher AND music director is a lot. But you can do it if you are organized, which it eeems you are.

Take whatever time off you have from teaching and plan ALLLLLLL your music for the rest of the year. You will be so relieved to get it finished and so happy that you have a concrete order of music to look at when you're having a stressful week.

Don't be afraid to repeat hymns often, or to use familiar hymn tunes with alternate texts which fit the readings. That is a lifesaver.

If you're doing polyphony with the choir, keep it super simple. If they sound good, everyone (listeners and singers and you) will be happy. Don't do complicated stuff just because it exists, or because you've done it in other choirs. Baby steps.

What Serviam said about adding antiphons is excellent. Fr. Weber's simplified propers (order the Ignatius Pew Missal) can be sight-read by a good cantor, or by you. Don't involve the choir with the propers until you have more time and are feeling less stressed. Btw Fr. Weber has SIMPLE responsorial psalm and alleluias also, in the same Ignatius Pew Missal. Super simple, super easy, all in one book, no practicing required. Sing the antiphons a capella; they sound reverent and people will listen. (Even though, yes, they are based on the much-maligned psalm tones. Oh well. Not the end of the world. It gets the job done and helps introduce the parish (and singers) to the propers.)

I find it MUCH easier to just go ahead and sing the Mass by myself sometimes, when you're lacking volunteers or when certain voices aren't cantor quality. It's way less stressful to just do it yourself. You are a trained vocalist; you could sight-read the entire Mass if need be (although it's better and more respectful to our Lord to practice, and personally I have only ever sung/played Mass a few times without practicing. It's just not a good idea.) But my point is that you are capable and trained. Make use of your voice instead of stressing about other musicians.

Invite them, speak kindly to them, pray for them. But don't stress. Just do it yourself. Because you can!

I proposed one Mass setting for Lent/Advent,
one for Ordinary Time, and one for
Christmas/Easter/Solemnities etc., all familiar
to the congregation,

then your request was very reasonable.


Definitely in agreement with Serviam!