Contracts/booking procedures and freelance church musicians

[puzzleannie]

I am guessing “we would like Aunt Mary to sing Sunrise Sunset” or “my cousins Billy and Joel will be playing the guitar and bongos and singing a song of their own composition for the recessional” poses huge problems for wedding music directors. Surely you have policies in place to deal with these requests.

 

[Guitar]

We do not replace core group members with family members or friends. We are prepared to work with a friend or relative for one or two items provided they are willing to rehearse but we reserve the right to decline to perform with them if it becomes apparent the result will not enhance the wedding.

Please note that we are practicing members of the Catholic faith – regardless of what your celebrant will permit, we reserve the right to decline to perform music at Catholic services that we feel is out of step with good liturgical practice.

Puzzleannie, the above two points, in slightly longer form, are in our handout and that’s how we deal with it. Policy 1 covers both the guest artist’s competence and suitability of their material, and policy 2 covers unsuitable material whether performed solely by us or with a guest.

Too often we get to the very end of the process only to hear, “oh and my cousin will be doing all the singing” or “my niece will be playing the violin”. Under policy 1, we allow a guest performer for two items at most on the proviso it works OK at a rehearsal held well in advance, so there’s time to recover if it’s plainly going to be a trainwreck. (I almost had a trumpeter from ERII’s staff as the family guest artist once but he decided at the last minute not to take his trumpet on the plane … but guests like that are few and far between. A non-musical couple’s estimation of their friends and rello’s abilities is often totally at odds with reality so you never know where you stand till you’ve had the rehearsal.)

If we decline to be involved in a piece and they want their relatives to playt it anyway, we invoke policy 2 and let them know it is their responsibility to get the bongo number approved by the celebrant and local music authority. We follow up on whether they’ve done this and make certain the celebrant is aware this was organised by the couple themselves and that the performers are not members of our group. I can only control what my group does but I can make sure we only get blamed for what we actually do and not for what others do.

 

[Guitar]

I am guessing “we would like Aunt Mary to sing Sunrise Sunset” or “my cousins Billy and Joel will be playing the guitar and bongos and singing a song of their own composition for the recessional” poses huge problems for wedding music directors. Surely you have policies in place to deal with these requests.

Agapewolf, from your post it seems you deal with these things pretty much as I do - you have the right to disallow it on your home territory and when playing elsewhere or with others you tell couples they must get approval from the local authority - is that right?

Anyone else have ways of handling it?

 

[agapewolf]

Agapewolf, from your post it seems you deal with these things pretty much as I do - you have the right to disallow it on your home territory and when playing elsewhere or with others you tell couples they must get approval from the local authority - is that right?

Anyone else have ways of handling it?

Assumming we are talking about Catholic weddings, when they ask for an inapprorpriate song when meeting with me, I explain the sacred nature of the sacrament, the psychology of playing secular music, and tell them why it isn’t appropriate. Usually by then, they’ve been talked out of it.

If they insist, then I say that the priest must approve it. If the priest says its ok, then I’m off the hook.

 

[Jennifer_J]

Okay, this may be too off topic, and if so I’ll start another thread, just let me know,

I’m currently a stay at home mom (for 7 years now), but am a qualified music teacher and classically trained voical musician. How does one go about getting paid music jobs–weddings and such? Who do I ask at my parish? I’m still pretty busy with my young children, but it would be nice to make a bit of extra money, use my degree and my voice and it doesn’t seem like like it would take huge amounts of time to do (maybe I’m wrong?).

Thanks for any advice and words of wisdom (like, “keep dreaming” ! LOL )

 

[agapewolf]

You can always give your resume and maybe a CD of sampler music of you to parishes and your diocesan office.

As a music director at a church, I am the default for weddings and funerals at my parish, and I need all the gigs I can get. I’ve had a few resumes sent to me and they sit in a file.

There may be a time when I am booked already somewhere else and I can pass on the name to a couple who may not have anyone in mind. I tell them that I dont know personally of their ability.

 

[Guitar]

You can always give your resume and maybe a CD of sampler music of you to parishes and your diocesan office.

As a music director at a church, I am the default for weddings and funerals at my parish, and I need all the gigs I can get. I’ve had a few resumes sent to me and they sit in a file.

There may be a time when I am booked already somewhere else and I can pass on the name to a couple who may not have anyone in mind. I tell them that I dont know personally of their ability.

Jennifer, I don’t think its too far off topic and I hope this thread is useful background. Agapewolf’s suggestion is a good one and one way to ease into it - set up contacts who can refer you when they’re already booked. Where a parish doesn’t have a director or lead musician, talk to parish office staff, who often keep names on file. Becoming a cantor at your parish (if you aren’t already) is a good way to build a reputation and to attract the best customers. Being available for parish funerals is also good “exposure” and gets you known to priests who might recommend you. Funeral directors are often very happy to have competent church musicians’ details at hand for when parishes can’t supply their own.

CDs and a CV are an excellent ideas. If you can’t record, offer to “audition” for the potential recommender, which allows you to demonstrate your liturgical awareness as well. FWIW, before I recommend anyone, I need to know their proficiency (can they learn from sheet music the day before or do I keep them on the jobs-with-more-notice list?) and what style(s) suit (can they pull off “Hail the Bright Seraphim”, are they happier with congregational leading and psalms or can they do both?). I also need to know someone is personally reliable and won’t do anything that reflects badly on me for having recommended them.

If I pass on details of people I don’t know, like Agapewolf I make it plain it’s not a recommendation as such and caveat emptor applies.

I’d suggest you have a handout ready with your CV, sample repertoire, fees and policies and a nice recent photo. The info should be slanted towards the of work you want - just church work, or church and secular covered in separate blurbs. Lots of couples want to hear a recording so a track or two on CD is a good idea if its feasible. (Don’t fall into the “oh, it’s only a demo tape” trap - a ratty demo loses you work faster than anything else.) A simple business card is essential and the wording on it should also reflect the work you want.

When booked as a singer, people often expect you to bring an accompanist or at least provide suggestions. Build up a dossier of names you are willing to work with and get to know how much notice they need for new stuff or whether they can sight-read.

I include the background reading given above in my handout because many couples aren’t church-literate, don’t know their celebrant personally and sometimes I see them before he does so it’s the first “catechesis” they get. That sort of thing is at your discretion, of course.

Whether it takes a lot of time depends on how flexible you want to be. You can say, “here’s my repertoire” and stick to it, decide you won’t travel further than X miles and only work with known accompanists so you don’t need rehearsals. You can withhold commitment till after your interview and only go ahead with church-going couples. You can decide whether you’ll learn new material at short notice or whether you fix the programme in stone X weeks before the event and charge like the light brigade for changes after that, or just say no. The biggest time problems seem to occur when we get slurped into issues that aren’t our problem, because of the emotions surrounding the event and sympathy for a couple having hassles. It helps to know where your boundaries are. I use the bank teller or supermarket model as a reality check - the priest is the manager, I’m the telleror checkout person, the bride/groom is the customer, is what they’ve just asked reasonable or have they forgotten I have no emotional investment in their big day and I am here to provide a paid service?

 

[agapewolf]

. I use the bank teller or supermarket model as a reality check - the priest is the manager, I’m the telleror checkout person, the bride/groom is the customer, is what they’ve just asked reasonable or have they forgotten I have no emotional investment in their big day and I am here to provide a paid service?

Guitar, I’m with you on almost everything except this. Now, I’m not saying you are wrong at all…we are just in different positions I think.

I don’t know if you are, but I’m a full time music director at a parish. I am very invested in my parish far beyond music…youth ministry, liturgy as a whole (including weddings, etc), social events, and many more things.

It is more than a business and job to me…I do consider it a ministry…music ministry, even at weddings. When I meet with the couple, there is a lot of catechesis that happens, this is considered part of their marriage preperation. I really try to deemphasize the fluffiness of weddings and emphasize the sacrament to them. I don’t consider myself just a vendor.

Now when I’m hired at other churches, I have a little less involvement.

 

[Jennifer_J]

Jennifer, I don’t think its too far off topic and I hope this thread is useful background. Agapewolf’s suggestion is a good one and one way to ease into it - set up contacts who can refer you when they’re already booked. Where a parish doesn’t have a director or lead musician, talk to parish office staff, who often keep names on file. …?

Thank you so much for such a thorough answer! I have some leg work to do which is fine Thanks again!

 

[Guitar]

Guitar, I’m with you on almost everything except this. Now, I’m not saying you are wrong at all…we are just in different positions I think.

I don’t know if you are, but I’m a full time music director at a parish. I am very invested in my parish far beyond music…youth ministry, liturgy as a whole (including weddings, etc), social events, and many more things.

It is more than a business and job to me…I do consider it a ministry…music ministry, even at weddings. When I meet with the couple, there is a lot of catechesis that happens, this is considered part of their marriage preperation. I really try to deemphasize the fluffiness of weddings and emphasize the sacrament to them. I don’t consider myself just a vendor.

Now when I’m hired at other churches, I have a little less involvement.

I think we are on the same page; I’m just putting it too bluntly.

I’m not a formally appointed music director but I think it’s fair to say I’m seen by many as the parish lead musician. I am “formally” a coordinator and responsible for most of the planning. I do plenty of volunteer playing as well as paying freelance music.

It is more than a business for me, it is as you say a ministry, opportunity for catechesis and my way of serving others. If it were just a business and I just a vendor, I would have fled screaming twenty years ago and played in coffee shops instead. I do go the extra mile for couples (waaaay more than that in many cases) and often end up helping them out with things that are right outside the music field.

Unfortunately, though, due to the high emotional investment in the event, poor catechesis, and the “church setting” sometimes leading couples to treat you in ways they would never think of treating other professionals or “service providers”, I still think boundaries are necessary to stop your time, talent and even sometimes your Christian outlook being abused. Couples do sometimes try to sneak one past the priest and leave you sandwiched in the middle of it, when they’d never do that to a shop employee. Or you will say your fee includes X, Y and Z but then they want you to set aside a second evening so their sister and mum can hear you sing and play too, sorry they couldn’t make it last week but they really want to hear you, and could you just play the entrance march for us at church rehearsal next Thursday night, and oh just letting you know I changed my mind on three of the pieces yesterday, I hope that’s OK with you because I had to rush the programme to the printer so I can pick them up tomorrow, that’ll be OK won’t it … yes, it’s a ministry but you have to know when to say “enough”, especially when you have many weddings and funerals and parish events clamouring for your time and effort.

The bank teller model is a reality check where I suspect I am being taken for a bit of a ride by people who think the world owes them because it’s their big day, that the world can and will drop everything to bail them out of last-minute messes you warned them to avoid months ago. I don’t mean it as a normal way of thinking. These couples aren’t the norm but there are enough of them out there to cause you grief if you let them. Thank you for providing the necessary counterbalance!

 

[Guitar]

Thank you so much for such a thorough answer! I have some leg work to do which is fine Thanks again!

This is one reason I started this thread - so we could help each other out as well as/instead of just venting and commiserating as church musicians so often do!

Maybe reading about someone else’s experiences here will give me appropriate ways for dealing with new issues in future rather than being caught flat-footed by them, and maybe some of my experiences will help others too.