F YOU NEED surgery on your neck, would you choose a surgeon who’s never performed neck surgery? Certainly not! Yet too many sacred music conferences select faculty members who have never stood in front of a choir in real life.1 Something which distinguishes the Sacred Music Symposium has always been its faculty: directors who have demonstrated excellence working in real parishes. This year, I’ve been in charge of a job which (in past years) was usually handled by Andrea Leal: viz. interviewing participants who apply. I’m encouraged and overjoyed by those who have already applied. This year’s roster is looking phenomenal. Something tells me this is going to be our best symposium yet—and the music we’re singing is sublime.
What Dr. Tappan Said • In one of his articles, Dr. Lucas Tappan said something to the effect of: “Early in my career, I realized I could easily spend the entire day answering emails. I decided to always prioritize teaching. If that meant failing to respond to emails, so be it.” I’ve been directing parish choirs for 25+ years. Like Dr. Tappan, I noticed something: I could easily spend hours each week editing recordings. I made a conscious decision to avoid that. There just isn’t time! I have numerous obligations—including obligations to my wife and children. Nevertheless, it’s been suggested to me that I owe it to those considering this year’s symposium to provide examples of how the choir I direct sounds. That idea struck me as reasonable.
Jeff’s Credentials • In light of that request, I spent the morning grabbing some excerpts from the most recent Mass we sang: 16 March 2025 (2nd Sunday of Lent). Several of our best singers were missing, but that doesn’t matter. Those who direct volunteer choirs must learn to expect absences. I began working for my current parish in August of 2024. Before my arrival, there was no choir—so I stood outside after each Mass and recruited singers from among those headed for their cars!
Live Recordings:
The volunteer choir
Jeff directs in Michigan
Example #01 • The first example is a clip from our OPENING HYMN. This was our first attempt at singing this hymn in SATB. I’m sure it will improve the more times we sing it:
* Mp3 Download • EXAMPLE #01: “Opening Hymn”
—Excerpt from Mass on 16 March 2025 • This parish choir is 100% volunteer.
Example #02 • While the Celebrant incenses the altar, our women sing the ENTRANCE CHANT from the Graduale Romanum. I accompany them on the pipe organ. They are conducted by Kaitrin Drost, who’s a member of the faculty for this year’s Sacred Music Symposium. The vast majority of these women had never sung plainsong, but they’ve taken to it like a duck to water:
* Mp3 Download • EXAMPLE #02: “Entrance Chant”
—Excerpt from Mass on 16 March 2025 • This parish choir is 100% volunteer.
Example #03 • During Lent, we sing the KYRIE in a way that involves both choir and congregation. First the ladies sing, then the congregation sings, then there’s a bit of glorious polyphony from the MASS IN HONOR OF SAINT NOËL CHABANEL:
* Mp3 Download • EXAMPLE #03: “Kýrie Eléison”
—Excerpt from Mass on 16 March 2025 • This parish choir is 100% volunteer.
Example #04 • We have a professional singer and voice teacher here in Muskegon who serves as my assistant director: Kaitrin Drost. On Sunday she sang the Responsorial Psalm:
* Mp3 Download • EXAMPLE #04: “Kaitrin Drost as Soloist”
—Excerpt from Mass on 16 March 2025 • This parish choir is 100% volunteer.
Example #05 • During Lent, the pipe organ is severely curtailed—except on LAETARE SUNDAY. At the Offertory, we sang #689 from the Brébeuf Hymnal. The ladies sing verse #1 in unison. Then, harmonies begin at marker 0:26, a moment you won’t want to miss!
* Mp3 Download • EXAMPLE #05: “My Song Is Love Unknown”
—Excerpt from Mass on 16 March 2025 • This parish choir is 100% volunteer.
Example #06 • The congregation joins us in singing the AGNUS DEI. Afterwards, the choir adds a brief polyphonic extension:
* Mp3 Download • EXAMPLE #06: “Agnus Dei”
—Excerpt from Mass on 16 March 2025 • This parish choir is 100% volunteer.
Example #07 • We recently started a men’s Schola Cantorum. When the men heard the ladies chanting the various introits so beautifully, they wanted to do likewise. I feel that our men’s Schola Cantorum is off to an excellent start:
* Mp3 Download • EXAMPLE #07: “Communion Antiphon”
—Excerpt from Mass on 16 March 2025 • This parish choir is 100% volunteer.
Example #08 • After the reception of Holy Communion, we sang a splendid setting of Psalm 117 (in Latin and English). Polyphonic lines are added as the song progresses, as you can hear in this ‘live’ excerpt from Sunday:
* Mp3 Download • EXAMPLE #08: “Psalm 117” (after Communion)
—Excerpt from Mass on 16 March 2025 • This parish choir is 100% volunteer.
Microphones aren’t capable of capturing the complex, luscious, resplendent, rich choral sound. I wish you could hear it in person. The singers sound absolutely gorgeous—and our church has magnificent acoustics.
Our Chance To Give Back • Father Valentine Young (d. 2020) had a favorite phrase, which he’d sometimes repeat: “The cemeteries are filled with people who thought they were indispensable.” All of us—myself included—must guard against the idea that God “needs” our efforts. In reality, we must thank God for allowing us to serve Him. Those of us who will be faculty members for this year’s Sacred Music Symposium are overjoyed at this opportunity to “give back” to the community, in our own small way. Let’s remember that when we refuse to admit that all goodness and beauty comes from God, we become like a rooster who takes credit for the sunrise.
This Will Change Your Life • I can’t emphasize strongly enough how thrilled I’ve been to interview (via Zoom) the various participants who have signed up to attend this year’s Sacred Music Symposium. We’ve been hosting this conference for 10 years, but something tells me this is going to be the best year yet! I cordially invite you to consider attending. This is something you won’t want to miss—and it could change your life forever. It’s important that you reserve your spot quickly, as space is limited.
Bonus Clip • By the way, I was sent the following clip—recorded on an iPhone—showing our choir rehearsing for a wedding (directed by Kaitrin Drost, a member of the faculty for this year’s Sacred Music Symposium):
Concluding Thought
OW THAT THIS article has come to an end, I would like to clarify one thing. I’ve often claimed that the music sung at Mass should be performed with a certain excellence. It should not be done poorly. It shouldn’t make the congregation “suffer.” Rather, it ought to bring delight to the ear, raising one’s heart and mind to God. On the other hand, this concept can be taken too far. As artists, we want to please absolutely everyone. If we aren’t able to please everyone, we become depressed. But it’s actually not our job to please everyone. Due to our fallen human nature, there will always be a certain percentage of people who reject the Gospel, the teachings of the Church, and the beauty of authentic sacred music. Period. We need to accept this reality. Consider the following example. In the 1990s, television commercials provided a number to call. Folks who dialed that number paid for a “psychic” to tell them which historical figures their pets were—before being ‘reincarnated’ as pets. In other words, you would call the number and hear that your dog (in a former life) was actually George Washington. If you called again, the psychic would tell you that your goldfish (in another life) was actually Napoleon Bonaparte, Mahatma Gandhi, or Albert Einstein. Let that sink in! Real people would happily waste their money on such silly and sinful things. Next time you’re tempted to please “everyone,” remember that a certain percentage of people are foolish. They aren’t worth pleasing! We should worry about pleasing God. We should worry about adherence to the authentic traditions of the Catholic Church. Ultimately, that’s all we should worry about. My friends sometimes show me examples from the GIA PUBLICATIONS catalogue, exclaiming with a look of horror: “Can you believe the goofy, secular music being promoted by this catalogue?” My answer is always the same: “Why should we expect anything different? GIA PUBLICATIONS is owned by a non-Christian family. Agere sequitur esse. Why should we be surprised by this?” The point I’m trying to make is that we should not be surprised by scandals in the Church. Nor should we allow ourselves to become depressed if certain people don’t appreciate our work. In the final analysis, the only thing we should worry about is pleasing God.
1 Directing at a university or seminary can help prepare one to form a parish music program, but it cannot substitute for actual experience at the parish level. It pains me to see musicians who have never stood in front a choir (or who were unsuccessful at the parish level) being chosen to serve as faculty for choral festivals, colloquia, conventions, and sacred music conferences. As Monsignor Skeris used to exclaim: “The blind leading the blind!” Singing in a choir and taking conducting lessons are both extremely helpful, but they aren’t synonymous with forming a successful program at the parish level. A degree from the university can also prove invaluable—but it’s not a panacea. Indeed, I know several execrable parish music programs whose directors earned terminal degrees in choral conducting. Graduation is not the “end” of the race—it’s the beginning of one’s vocation. The really difficult work starts after one arrives at the parish.
