Music and Musicians--a short rant

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kristie_m

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Seems like a week can’t go by without someone starting a thread complaining about the music or musicians at their church. I would LOVE to see a thread thanking those people who faithfully show up week after week, to do their best to lead the congregations in song.

Yes, some cantors are better than others. No, not everyone likes to hear the guitar at Mass. Yes, some songs are played all too often. But if y’all had any idea how much work goes into putting music together for a single choir for a single Sunday, perhaps you’d be a bit less critical, and a bit more grateful. I can’t express how discouraging it is for us musicians to hear complaint after complaint.
 
You are right. Too often we (myself definitely included) grouse about the choices in music. The truth is, when we are especially moved and transported by the music, we are to busy enjoying the experience and do not take the time to thank and appreciate all the musicians. It is only when we feel let down and disappointed that we vent our displeasure. As one who is not graced with any musical ability, I promise to take more time to thank our cantors and musicians.👍****
 
THANK YOU!!! :clapping:

I am totally with you. It seems like many people seem to think they know better, or they can do it better. To them I say, let them actually get up and DO it.

I am one of the church musicians. I cantor, sing in choir, and hope to be able to being my intrumentation into mass (french horn). It sucks up a LOT of my time. And that’s just me, a young childless married woman with no full time job. There are men and women in our choir that are juggling 4 kids, soccer, ballet, PTA, dinner, school, work 40+ hours a week, church, AND the music ministry that really have to work their tail off to make it all happen. There is SO much work that goes in to a service, and sometimes I think people just don’t get that. Plus, it’s so nervewracking to get in front of a congregation of 100 plus people and try to sing/play. You have stage fright, and you are hoping you can remember to do everything, and do it well because you are worried of people judging you if you mess up. Then when you hear that they did, or ARE complaining about you it HURTS. Espcially since the whole reason any of us are there is to glorify God, because God knows they don’t pay us, and for every compliment you hear, you get 3 criticisms back. Ah well, I knew this going into it. lol
 
People complain about liturgical music here on CAF!?!?!? :eek::eek::eek: You must be joking!

😃

(I notice the thread right next to this one is titled Some new contemporary church songs you hate? ;))

I know that, too often, I can be one of the “lazy complainers.” There are some songs that simply grate on me. And yet, I have not the musical skill to actually do anything besides complain. Sometimes I forget the importance of gratitude (AKA “thanksgiving”, which is what the word “Eucharist” means).

In my defense, though, one of the choirs in my town really does sound like “Peter, Paul, & Mary”, and another really does sound like a lounge lizard. :o 😉

Thank you for starting this thread, though. It does get far too easy for us to get swept up in negative thinking. It’s good to look at things from a positive perspective.
 
kristie_m said:
I can’t express how discouraging it is for us musicians to hear complaint after complaint.
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Water off a duck’s back. I see little point in being sensitive to criticism. It always reveals more about the person complaining than the person being complained about. My pat answer would be to offer to turn over the reigns to anyone who wants, assuming the priest is willing. Fortunately, I seldom hear anything in person. It is easier to gripe from afar.

I would say that there is no point in being too sensitive about it, but the truth is I am probably just too calloused. In any case hang in there.

I started a thread once on hymns that we like. It lasted for a while. Maybe it’s time to start a new one.
 
Bless your heart for starting this thread! St. Cecilia, pray for the OP and ask the Lord Jesus to heap the blessings upon her this weekend! May all the songs played and sung at Mass be her favorites! May the song that wakes her up on her clock radio be her top favorite of all time!

I’m on my way out the door now to go play piano for a community choir. I love to play, and I do the best I can when I am invited to play at my parish or at any parish. I’ll play contemporary (all the songs listed on that other thread!), and I’ll play them well. Or I’ll play classical–hand me a copy of your piece and I’ll play it well.
 
pnewton said:
Water off a duck’s back. I see little point in being sensitive to criticism.
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This is true in many regards. We musicians/artists do tend to be more sensitive people in general. It’s probably because so many of us put our souls, deepest selves, and for some, our prayers into the music we make. Unfortunately, we have to deal with A LOT of criticism whether in the secular or sacred spheres. Masterclasses, for instance, can be really hard, although sometimes the master may not be that great either and you have to evaluate the criticism given as well. Fellow musicians can be the harshest on each other - either because they hear things which a non-musician would not hear and expect better, especially if they paid money to hear another musician, or because they are just plain mean and catty and try to play head games with their potential “competition”. I just stay away from people like the latter and don’t allow them to pull me into their pool of negativity.

But, if a musician knows his/her worth and can view his/her ability honestly, then they can take other people’s complaints/critiques (especially non-musicians) with a grain of salt. I’ve had to learn from the time I started to really take being a musician seriously as a teenager, to build up a tough outer shell in order to protect my inner sensitivity and to survive the “wolves”. This was continually stressed to me by older musicians who was not out to eat me alive, but actually cared about us younger musicians. I hope when I become an older, wiser musician I can do the same for the next generation.

Some criticism, on the other hand, can be good and constructive either in terms of technique or just the choice of music. Although, it can be hard to take at first, if you can find the value of the criticism after taking a little time away from the initial “hurt”, then perhaps it can help you, as a musician, improve. Otherwise, non-constructive criticism from cranky, know-it-all curmudeons, especially ones who don’t even know anything about music, can be as pnewton says, “water off a duck’s back”.
 
In regards to the structure for music at parishes, one has to take each parish on an individual basis. Many volunteer their time and ability, whether great ability or not-so-great. For me, it doesn’t seem right to hold the same standard of musicianship with volunteers, especially if they aren’t really musicians, but people who are just trying to help their parish out and mean well. Yes, it can be hard on the ears, but I have to realize that unless the parish has the means to hire a good musician - instrumentalist or singer - then I can’t really complain. The parish and the people involved in the ministry is doing the best they can.

Of course, if they are receiving some sort of a salary, then there are higher expectations. Since I’m a paid cantor, I have a higher expectation for myself. The parish is paying me to give them a professional level of quality and I’d better give it for them - especially for God. Although, even if I wasn’t paid, I’d be the same way. I don’t like to give mediocrity. Also, if you know that the parish and the musicians have the means and/or ability to give better quality in ability or music choices, then I can allow for complaints and critiques, as I would consider them constructive.

Otherwise, my belief is that if a parishioner has endless complaints about the music ministry at his/her parish, then he/she should do something about it. That can be either offering to be a part of the ministry to improve it, giving money towards musicians’ lessons to better themselves, giving money towards purchasing better repertoire, offering to help pay for professional musicians, etc.

That said, you can’t please everyone. The best one can do is to give your highest level of ability. If you know that you are doing your best, then there isn’t anything more you can do.
 
kristie_m said:
Seems like a week can’t go by without someone starting a thread complaining about the music or musicians at their church. I would LOVE to see a thread thanking those people who faithfully show up week after week, to do their best to lead the congregations in song.

Yes, some cantors are better than others. No, not everyone likes to hear the guitar at Mass. Yes, some songs are played all too often. But if y’all had any idea how much work goes into putting music together for a single choir for a single Sunday, perhaps you’d be a bit less critical, and a bit more grateful. I can’t express how discouraging it is for us musicians to hear complaint after complaint.
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Thanks for posting this. There were a few times when my preteen daughter commented how much she loved the folk music at the 9:30 mass (we usually go to a later mass that has organ music). Next time I’ll see if she can muster the courage to actually say that to the musicians instead of to me.
 
kristie_m said:
Seems like a week can’t go by without someone starting a thread complaining about the music or musicians at their church. I would LOVE to see a thread thanking those people who faithfully show up week after week, to do their best to lead the congregations in song.

Yes, some cantors are better than others. No, not everyone likes to hear the guitar at Mass. Yes, some songs are played all too often. But if y’all had any idea how much work goes into putting music together for a single choir for a single Sunday, perhaps you’d be a bit less critical, and a bit more grateful. I can’t express how discouraging it is for us musicians to hear complaint after complaint.
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I am so with you on this, Kristie. 👍 My daughter has cantored at mass for several years now, ever since she was a sophomore in high school. She’s at Franciscan now, and sometimes cantors at mass there, too. So I know how much hard work and practice goes into it. My response to people who complain is–then YOU get up there and do it. Just be prepared for the complaints *you’re *going to get!
 
Joe_5859 said:
I know that, too often, I can be one of the “lazy complainers.” There are some songs that simply grate on me. And yet, I have not the musical skill to actually do anything besides complain.
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I never complain about the music - I am too grateful to the musicians for all the effort they put into it. What I do is, when the song is one that I either like or can tolerate reasonably well, I’ll sing along with gusto. When it’s a song I don’t like, I just sit or stand there like a lump. I figure the choir members have ears as well as voices and will get the message when people do or don’t join in. And if they don’t, it’s okay, because it doesn’t hurt me (or anyone else) for me to just stand there politely.
 
nineofnine said:
I never complain about the music - I am too grateful to the musicians for all the effort they put into it. What I do is, when the song is one that I either like or can tolerate reasonably well, I’ll sing along with gusto. When it’s a song I don’t like, I just sit or stand there like a lump. I figure the choir members have ears as well as voices and will get the message when people do or don’t join in. And if they don’t, it’s okay, because it doesn’t hurt me (or anyone else) for me to just stand there politely.
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I should clarify that I never complain publicly. It’s more of an interior disposition (that I’m working on…really!). Of course, I may sometimes say things to my wife later on, but she’ll usually point it out first because I think it bothers her more than it does me. It almost always has more to do with the words of the songs chosen, not the quality of music.

I can certainly empathize with the musicians, though. I can only imagine how difficult it would be. No matter what song you choose to sing, someone is going to be unhappy with it. This thread is a nice reminder to me to work harder on being more grateful and less cynical. Thanks, Kristie! 👍
 
Thank you so much for this thread. I am a pianist/organist/vocalist who quit my church job the end of this past May. I was exhausted. I played all services, sang at all services while playing, tried to keep a nearly non-existent choir going, and do everything so that the service would run uninterrupted in a worshipful atmosphere. It is a LOT of work to pull this off. For this I got paid the princely sum of $60 per Mass. It just got to be too much.
However, words on this thread comfort me somewhat, so maybe someday I will take my place on the bench again!:rolleyes:
 
nineofnine said:
I never complain about the music - I am too grateful to the musicians for all the effort they put into it. What I do is, when the song is one that I either like or can tolerate reasonably well, I’ll sing along with gusto. When it’s a song I don’t like, I just sit or stand there like a lump. I figure the choir members have ears as well as voices and will get the message when people do or don’t join in. And if they don’t, it’s okay, because it doesn’t hurt me (or anyone else) for me to just stand there politely.
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The choir members have very little say about what we sing. I’ll be singing something Sunday that I don’t like at all. I don’t like the melody, I don’t like the range and I really don’t like the words. I’ve never sung it before, and never even heard it until Wednesday night. And yet…I’ll be singing it on Sunday. PLEASE, sing along with me. I was supposed to be the desperation cantor, but lately I’m the main cantor, sometimes more than one Mass on a weekend. I’ll be banging around on the piano (right hand only) to learn the new stuff, and maybe I’ll find a video on YouTube. I’ve learned a lot of new songs from YouTube in the last few months.

We have a new choir director, just started two weeks ago. There’s a liturgy committee, but they haven’t had a meeting since he started. He seems to think he’ll be able to bring about some changes, but I think he’ll be disappointed to find out the way things work there. We haven’t had money to buy new music in two years. The previous director owned everything himself and he took it with him. We have no choral music at all, just the good old Breaking Bread Hymnal and Choral Praise. The piano is so out of tune it’s embarassing.
 
daeve said:
The choir members have very little say about what we sing. I’ll be singing something Sunday that I don’t like at all. I don’t like the melody, I don’t like the range and I really don’t like the words. I’ve never sung it before, and never even heard it until Wednesday night. And yet…I’ll be singing it on Sunday. PLEASE, sing along with me. I was supposed to be the desperation cantor, but lately I’m the main cantor, sometimes more than one Mass on a weekend. I’ll be banging around on the piano (right hand only) to learn the new stuff, and maybe I’ll find a video on YouTube. I’ve learned a lot of new songs from YouTube in the last few months.

We have a new choir director, just started two weeks ago. There’s a liturgy committee, but they haven’t had a meeting since he started. He seems to think he’ll be able to bring about some changes, but I think he’ll be disappointed to find out the way things work there. We haven’t had money to buy new music in two years. The previous director owned everything himself and he took it with him. We have no choral music at all, just the good old Breaking Bread Hymnal and Choral Praise. The piano is so out of tune it’s embarassing.
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I have been signing in our choir for many years and choosing a song that no one knows especially the choir or cantor is just asking for trouble. I mean if the choir doesn’t know or the cantor, then it’s sure bet the congregation doesn’t know it. We use the Seasonal Missalette put out by WLP. For the most part the hymns in this missalette are hymns you know or at least the melody. There are few that they could have left out and saved a few pieces of paper on, but that’s a topic for another day.

We have a new organist as well (the one we had moved to Zainsville Ohio) and one of the things I did was to mark the hymns in the missalette that the choir and congregation know. I do this because, I have been there for so long, I know what choir knows and more importantly the congregation. About the only thing I ping out on my casio before going to church are the responsorial psalms.

A new song needs to be practiced until the choir or cantor know it. A couple of practices should do it or several if necessary. Then slowly introduce the piece over the next couple weeks or months to the congregation. I guess my advice for organist, music directors and such, is to use a little common sense.
 
kristie_m said:
Seems like a week can’t go by without someone starting a thread complaining about the music or musicians at their church. I would LOVE to see a thread thanking those people who faithfully show up week after week, to do their best to lead the congregations in song.

Yes, some cantors are better than others. No, not everyone likes to hear the guitar at Mass. Yes, some songs are played all too often. But if y’all had any idea how much work goes into putting music together for a single choir for a single Sunday, perhaps you’d be a bit less critical, and a bit more grateful. I can’t express how discouraging it is for us musicians to hear complaint after complaint.
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👍
Amen!
 
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