I have a wonderful relationship with the music departments of our two secular universities- Sacramento State University and University of California(Davis). For the past three years St Stephen the First Martyr has enjoyed the fruits of our Choral Scholar Program and I can honestly say I have no criticisms. The parish offers a stipend of $100.00 for each High Mass (which includes rehearsal). The program will be expanded next year to 5 Choral Scholarships as this relationship with the universities has proved so fruitful, and I have been assured by the choral scholars themselves that they have benefited greatly from it as well. The choral scholars have been immersed in a music (Chant) which was really nothing but a footnote in their academic studies, as well as learning the oldest musical notation in the Western world, St Gall/Laon Notational schools. They have also been exposed to the masterworks of Polyphony and in the EF of the Mass there is so much music to sing they all have told me how good their sight singing has become. Two of the choral scholars have recently expressed their desire to become choir directors in the Catholic Church after their experience singing with us. They have greatly enriched the musical life of the parish, and six and eight part polyphonic pieces are now common place in the repertoire. One of my choral scholars was even asked to teach semiology at his university in a medieval music theory class from what he learned being a choral scholar at St Stephen's. The benefit to both the parish and the university has really proved to be successful and I now have a waiting list of undergrad students in music wanting to take part in this program. So, from my experience, I can say it has been entirely successful.

This is a question where the details about the university and the parish(es) are critical, and I think the two Jeffreys' answers illustrate that. I can offer a perspective from a large public university.

The Choral Scholar programs like those described by Jeffrey Morse represent the ideal, in my opinion. The benefits to the students are education, experience, and money. Over the long term, these individual benefits translate into institutional benefits: better placement of department graduates in graduate schools and professions. And the university has to do practically nothing.

Money is key for a Choral Scholars program, or for almost any long term relationship, and my guess is that it must come primarily from the church side of the equation. On a day-to-day level, a music department at a public university has very little to gain from such a specific relationship and thus has little incentive to divert dollars in that direction. For a long time there was a Choral Scholars program like Jeffrey's at an Episcopal church near me. A member of the family whose name adorns my university's football stadium endowed the program at the church. In general, the program drew its students from our department. On an institutional level, the university did nothing to support the students, but there was a faculty liaison who facilitated communication between them and the church choirmaster. In other words, individuals made it happen, not the institution.

Generally speaking, music departments and music curricula are not designed with community service/outreach in mind. Awful, I know, but that's the way it is. On top of that, music departments are frequently ruled by strange politics. The academic faculty and the applied faculty often have different visions of what the department's purpose is: a liberal arts education or vocational training. In your case, it sounds like your contact might bridge the divide, which is good.

Maybe a parish close to the university with good facilities could offer church space for university choral concerts or faculty/student recitals (piano, violin, voice, or whatever). This might be a nice way to get dialogue started and to generate community/diocesan interest in supporting a Choral Scholars program or other creative program that you design. I hate to sound cynical, but you are probably going to have to do more "giving" and "reaching out" than the university. Just be persistent, creative, and proactive!

In a better world, community service would make up a much greater proportion of a musical education...and don't even get me started on music at our Newman Center.

This coming fall I will be attending a secular University to study organ. The department has already assured me a job in a local parish as an organist each Sunday. I learned that this is true for every organ student at the school.

As I said, money is key, especially with college students. All the interest in the world won't amount to much.

I have a question that I hope is not too naive: in these kinds of arrangements, are there local volunteers singing in the group who are not being paid? And does that cause friction?

Janette Fishell, now Professor of Organ at IU-Bloomington, had some sort of set-up between her (Episcopal) parish where she worked and the school, Eastern Carolina University, where she taught. The most obvious sign of the collaboration was that the school's main concert organ, a pretty big CB Fisk, actually is the church organ at the church. They split the cost, etc., and practice time is guaranteed and so on. Maybe she would have ideas...I don't know her personally, but being introduced in brief, she seems very kind.

I'm hoping to initiate a "symbiotic relationship" between my parish's music program and the university music program where I teach… something along the lines of what Jeffrey said above ("taking advantage of cheap labor and a work/study kind of relationship").

So… can I talk numbers here? What's an appropriate per-Mass stipend for a student? I'm sure a lot hinges on geography and the relative financial resources of the parish. But that notwithstanding, what's generally appropriate for a twenty-year-old-or-so excellent singer — a music major, but not really a professional per se?

thats with hiring some profesionals for first chair positions.

$50 bucks is about going grate, but $75 for more experienced high schoolers.
Donna

That's for sure. We were twice stationed at Blytheville AFB. Talk about another world from Little Rock! LOL

When my husband and I looked for a place to retire with a child still to put thru HS, we had to find a place with a good highschool orchestra/music program, a place for me to finish my degree, no state income tax, and readily available Fly-fishing streams!
East TN is the answer!

Donna

Adam, first let me explain the composition of the choir, this might make some of my answers make more sense. The choir at St Stephen's is composed of 24 senior choristers who sing the soprano line and 23 adults singing alto, tenor, lines. The choir is an audition only choir. At this stage I have three Choral Scholars.

I shall answer your questions in order-

1. Scheduling problems have been few and tend to effect the Wed. night rehearsal more than Sundays. As every 1st Class and many second class are High Masses at St Stephen's, the choral scholars have much opportunity to pick up extra money. The High Masses for feasts which fall during the week are at 7.00 pm. Occasionally this will conflict with their schedules, but it has been rare. The choir is strong enough to stand on its own on those occasions when they have all been absent.

2. I am very clear about what I expect from the choral scholars when they are hired. I don't let anything slide, in particular tardiness for rehearsals and sung services. More than a couple times without a valid excuse and I will sit them down for a talk. In three years this has happened twice, so not a concern. Not including the choristers, the rest of the choir has an average age of about 24, so the choral scholars are about the same age. There can be some "high Spiritedness" and fun at rehearsals, but the focus is always there and I get a lot done during rehearsals.

3. I have had the same 3 choral scholars for three years, so have had no turn-over, and I will have them next year as well. In Fall of 2011 I'll be looking for three more to replace them. The hardest thing for the Choral Scholars to learn is the Chant and it takes a few months of singing it to REALLY get it, but being voice majors they can all solfege so it comes pretty quickly. As for the polyphony of course, they can jump right in. The choral scholar program is considered a good "gig" by the university music students. The pay is fair, and the music is far superior and enjoyable for them than at most churches (be they Catholic or Protestant), and I try to make it an environment where they can learn, a true "schola" so to speak, and as I mentioned above, some have become so adept at the Chant and in Semiology their professors are asking them to teach classes or at least take over the "Chant" part.

I have tried to get to know the voice teachers of my choral scholars, and I enjoy a good relationship with them. This helps as they send me only their BEST students. I also try to always attend their voice recitals and other events and I think they appreciate the support. Also, I am able to connect with other faculty and future choral scholars at these events.

I hope this answers your questions. Do let me know if I can expand any of them for you if I did not cover it sufficiently.

Jeffrey M--

Thank you so so much for sharing your experiences here. It truly sounds like this is a great success for you and your program!

I'm wondering if you might be willing to share some of your contractual/scholarship information here, or if not here, if you would be willing to share it with me privately. This might include scholarship (job) description, expectations, schedule, contract, etc. Surely a "generic" copy would be appropriate.

I'm currently trying to draft a similar document to propose to the local School of Music, and comparing it to yours would be most helpful.

Perhaps others here might also like to see this and possibly also adopt the model for themselves?

Thank you, Jeffrey. What you have shared here is fantastic, and has been enough to help clarify my thinking on the idea. I will be putting together a proposal for my local school of music (and, frankly, one for the pastor too). Perhaps I can post it here when I'm done if it might be helpful to others.

Many thanks!