Music Ministers

  • Thread starter Thread starter paulah
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
P

paulah

Guest
Hi Everyone (hi paula!)

Mike (my husband) wanted me to ask this question…
He is a music minister for our parish and wanted to know what education and/or training (workshops) have you endured to become a MM?

…just curious in knowing what different parishes are requiring of gifted people to become MM’s.
 
paulah said:
Hi Everyone (hi paula!)

Mike (my husband) wanted me to ask this question…
He is a music minister for our parish and wanted to know what education and/or training (workshops) have you endured to become a MM?

…just curious in knowing what different parishes are requiring of gifted people to become MM’s.
Click to expand...
While not a “Music Minister” I have strongly suspected for years that there must be some sort of required training for MMs designed to lower artistic talents, lower musical quality and drive out reverance in Catholic worship.

Considering your question, and having been out of town this past weekend and having endured, one more time, the age of aquarius folk garbage that passes for liturgical music at Mass, I am now convinced that such training must indeed be required.
 
paulah said:
Hi Everyone (hi paula!)

Mike (my husband) wanted me to ask this question…
He is a music minister for our parish and wanted to know what education and/or training (workshops) have you endured to become a MM?

…just curious in knowing what different parishes are requiring of gifted people to become MM’s.
Click to expand...
What training? I studied piano for 15 years, guitar for 10 and taught for another 10, learned to play the flute, the recorder and the organ (gave up on my first instrument, the cornet). Attended workshops all over the western United States. I minored in music in college. Also did some composing, choral directing and, in my early 20’s, had a folk group that toured in Europe.

I also attended liturgical workshops given by the diocese. I served as a director of music for my parish for six years, stepped down and went to “deacon school.” I then served for another two years while we looked for a replacement for the previous director (who took my place).

Deacon Ed
 
banjo said:
Deacon Ed,

Who selects the music for the liturgy in your parish?
Click to expand...
When I was the director of music for the parish I did (the last few months I formed a committee to assist me). Now it’s the current director.

Deacon Ed
 
I have degrees in music performance, but other than that, no special training liturgically speaking. The only meetings I have are the weekly meetings with the pastor to go over music. We decide things together.
 
johnnykins said:
While not a “Music Minister” I have strongly suspected for years that there must be some sort of required training for MMs designed to lower artistic talents, lower musical quality and drive out reverance in Catholic worship.

Considering your question, and having been out of town this past weekend and having endured, one more time, the age of aquarius folk garbage that passes for liturgical music at Mass, I am now convinced that such training must indeed be required.
Click to expand...
Oh, so you visited my parish.

It seems that as soon as someone in my parish decides to become a music minister that any training or education they have received goes straight out the window and they conform to the terrible practices in place. And I speak as a soon to be former music minister who had to deal with out of tune, so off key singers and a former choir director who was severly tonedeaf and lover of Hagan that was forever telling me to shut up or trying to force me to ruin my voice by making me sing so much lower than my range.

And I was well educated in music in school by excellent music teachers who taught me to sing and to sing well. And now I feel that I don’t sing as nearly as well as I used to due to the people I have had to work with and sing with in choirs. Plus, any imput by me about the music is deliberatly ignored though if anyone else says anything they are absolutely catered to hand and foot to meet their needs.

Sorry, didn’t mean to complain but I needed to vent.
 
Pacbox said:
Oh, so you visited my parish.

It seems that as soon as someone in my parish decides to become a music minister that any training or education they have received goes straight out the window and they conform to the terrible practices in place. And I speak as a soon to be former music minister who had to deal with out of tune, so off key singers and a former choir director who was severly tonedeaf and lover of Hagan that was forever telling me to shut up or trying to force me to ruin my voice by making me sing so much lower than my range.

And I was well educated in music in school by excellent music teachers who taught me to sing and to sing well. And now I feel that I don’t sing as nearly as well as I used to due to the people I have had to work with and sing with in choirs. Plus, any imput by me about the music is deliberatly ignored though if anyone else says anything they are absolutely catered to hand and foot to meet their needs.

Sorry, didn’t mean to complain but I needed to vent.
Click to expand...
There is a Master degree in sacred music offered by the Catholic University of America, but my understanding is that it is offered only to those who are in current work in sacred music. Maybe they should allow others w/o experience in so that possibly as the quality of instruction for liturgical music directors BEFORE going into music ministry goes up, then also the general quality of music.

sacredmusic.cua.edu/
 
I have endured several “music” workshops by a well-known publishing company, and they are torture. They are usually centered on two things: liturgical reform or restructuring at the whim of the presenter, and making more profit for the publisher. To be charitable, I won’t name the individual composers who led the workshops, but each one I listened to seemed to have an axe to grind against the Church and was using the seminar as a venue to showcase their version of post-Vatican II liturgical reforms. They frequently grouse about pastors who dare to influence their liturgical practices. One well-known musician derided traditional Catholics who pray at Eucharistic adoration as “pious people worshipping Jesus trapped in a breadbox” (I hate to even quote it). Another, who doubles as a professor in a seminary, prided himself on being a “liberal Catholic.” Still others persist in adding unorthodox verses to service music (i.e. “Lamb of God, broken for us”), composing sappy mood music to be played during the consecration, and choreographing for quasi-Druidic liturgical dance troupes. Then there is a popular hymn writer who left the priesthood and currently lives a publically-homosexual lifestyle while continuing to write for this publisher (one can attend Mass where every song used was written by him, and yet we still can’t play Mozart at Mass because of the risque elements of some of his operas?). In short, don’t waste your money going to these workshops. All you need to know is in the GIRM (General Instruction on the Roman Missal).

The difference between a terrorist and a liturgist is that one can negotiate with a terrorist.
 
Cavaille-Coll said:
I have endured several “music” workshops by a well-known publishing company, and they are torture. They are usually centered on two things: liturgical reform or restructuring at the whim of the presenter, and making more profit for the publisher. To be charitable, I won’t name the individual composers who led the workshops, but each one I listened to seemed to have an axe to grind against the Church and was using the seminar as a venue to showcase their version of post-Vatican II liturgical reforms. They frequently grouse about pastors who dare to influence their liturgical practices. One well-known musician derided traditional Catholics who pray at Eucharistic adoration as “pious people worshipping Jesus trapped in a breadbox” (I hate to even quote it). Another, who doubles as a professor in a seminary, prided himself on being a “liberal Catholic.” Still others persist in adding unorthodox verses to service music (i.e. “Lamb of God, broken for us”), composing sappy mood music to be played during the consecration, and choreographing for quasi-Druidic liturgical dance troupes. Then there is a popular hymn writer who left the priesthood and currently lives a publically-homosexual lifestyle while continuing to write for this publisher (one can attend Mass where every song used was written by him, and yet we still can’t play Mozart at Mass because of the risque elements of some of his operas?). In short, don’t waste your money going to these workshops. All you need to know is in the GIRM (General Instruction on the Roman Missal).

The difference between a terrorist and a liturgist is that one can negotiate with a terrorist.
Click to expand...
I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!!! QED:D

All of which is completely consistent with the arrogance and errors pumped by several MMs on this Board.
 
I wish the “music ministers” (we call them cantors and choir members, we only have one organist, and one guitar player) were required to endure basic musical training, as in how to sing, taught to sing the music as written, and preferably all in the same key at the same tempo.
 
The music director on staff at my parish has an undergrad and masters degree from a prestigious music program. He has been playing piano since age 5, composes, arranges, plays multiple other instruments and sings like a dream. He has won national awards for instrumental composition. He is a faithful Catholic. He has attended various ministry training over the past 10 years. He has had his original music (new arrangements of psalms, etc) approved by the church in Rome for use at mass. (I didn’t even know before we talked that there was someplace to get music reviewed.)

All of that being said, he still receives “hate” emails, occasionally with bad language about his music selections or other choices. He said that he hears from other music ministers that they get the same negative and sometimes abusive “feedback” from parishioners no matter where they are at liturgically on the spectrum. I hope that the people venting about their parish’s music and Catholic music in general on these boards do not spew all over their music ministers about what they personally like and don’t like and quote rules, etc.

It really is a shame that we cannot appreciate someone giving their talent back to God and put a filter between our mouths and brains before tearing into them over sometimes trivial or very subjective matters. Our parish has lost some wonderful volunteer musicians/vocalists due to uncharitable sniping. We have also lost two choir directors in part due to people with bad attitudes and continuous complaints.

I pray the OP’s husband survives!
 
All of that being said, he still receives “hate” emails, occasionally with bad language about his music selections or other choices. He said that he hears from other music ministers that they get the same negative and sometimes abusive “feedback” from parishioners no matter where they are at liturgically on the spectrum.
I pray the OP’s husband survives!
Click to expand...
LOL - he IS surviving… barely! (God’s grace in action!)
Never thought about the email thing. Thank GOD our parish doesnt post his email - or surely he’d have the same emails of ‘admiration’ as the rest :D.

We have a very multi-cultural church. 50% black, 30% hisp. and 20% white. Also, it is approx 50% Charismatic. we LOVE love LOVE our church!

This being said, here’s story…
We have 4 weekend masses… 4 different MM’s - one for each mass (other parish MM’s shriek when they find this out). There isnt one ‘head’ music director… if there are issues with the music ministry, our Pastor will call a meeting with the 4 MM’s for discussion. Each MM has their own charism’s that are displayed as a MM - also, all 4 are the lead singers and play the guitar. They have other members that play piano or other instruments and singer in the choir.

All four MM’s are given a quarterly publication of Today’s Liturgy to help select their music. They use this only as a guide . They like the freedom of feeling the Spirit move and being able to change music during the mass to fit what the people need or Priest has talked about in his homily… and many times the priest has asked for certain songs to be played at certain times.
Mike - my husband - is the youngest, 37. The other 3 are older (50 - 60ish range) and have much more experience as MM’s. Couple of times Mike has gone to his peers for questions over songs being liturgically correct for the season.
Other then singing and playing guitar with the other 3 MM’s for many years (at different times), Mike has had NO ‘formal’ training or education for this position. He’s a convert from the Baptist faith and was taught early on how to sing and harmonize.

Anyway, he just wanted some (name removed by moderator)ut from other MMs around the country - to hear what y’all endured to fulfill the position!

You guys have givin him some good research and reading!!! Thanks a gazillion.
 
My personal musical background is years of private training in piano, classical guitar, and voice. I’ve had no formal training to be a music minister, but I did have to audition for the archdiocese’s music director to be in the Archdiocesean Choir.

I’ve been a music minister (classical guitarist/soloist/cantor/choir member/planner/director) in the Archdiocese of Detroit since 1967. While the diocese does (or used to) have formal cantor training, I was grandfathered in because of my considerable experience and reputation. If the diocese still requires that cantors go through a program, I’m not aware of it. Those in my parish certainly are not formally trained.

There are no auditions or special requirements to be in my parish’s choir or Praise Group (folk group made up of mostly aging hippie types). Anyone can volunteer to be a cantor, but if you’re not able to cantor effectively, the music director simply doesn’t schedule you.

I’ve been in my parish choir for many years, but this year am sitting it out because I don’t care for the music selection (too many praise and worship anthems with questionable theology). I still cantor and occasionally sub for the music director. When I sub, I select the music for the liturgy based on the lectionary, and I always select as many traditional Catholic hymns as appropriate.

'thann
 
Check out the Lifeteen music workshops at St. Timothy’s in Meza AZ.

Much Blessings!
 
Our parish has one music director, who picks the music for all the masses (there is a small amount of variety between the masses, b/c each Mass has musicians of differing calibers). The music choices are all made well in advance and always complement the readings.

As far as training, each year some of the various choir directors and the Music Director go to the National Liturgical Musician’s conference. Individual choir members also go to smaller workshops when available.

I spent 4 years in the seminary. That probably counts for some training. 🙂 And even though I’m one of the guitar players, it was my prompting that brought chant back to the parish (during ordinary time, they would sing Tantum Ergo on Holy Thursday but I helped introduce others.)
 
We have 4 weekend masses… 4 different MM’s - one for each mass (other parish MM’s shriek when they find this out).
Click to expand...
I’ll shriek about this one. Like I said earlier, I only have a single weekly meeting with the pastor, BUT we too have 4 weekend masses. I’m the cantor for 3 of them and cantor/choir director for the 4th. I suppose the only real thing I have to endure is hearing the same homily 4 times in a row (it wears on you).
 
Deacon Ed, would you prefer for the Saginaw Diocese to use the Adoremus hymnal? We have a new Bishop and our Church just had a re-dicated and they had worst music ever, would you prefer for them to use Adoremus hymnal?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top