weddings

wedding is not part of ministry....

This is my stand and has always been my stand. When I joined a church choir, I joined it because it uplifts my worship during mass. I want to worship as a community, active in serving. I don't want to just be in the congregation participating. Now then along comes couples who want to get married. And they approach the priest, and the priest asks the couple to go and listen to the various choirs and individually approach the choir that they want to sing in their weddings. So my take: singing for weddings is extra curricullar activity (ECA) which while was compulsary attendance during schooldays is a chore when it is your off day as a working adult.

Expectation of the wedding couple....

Wah! so nice.
I like the way Regina Coeli sounded....I can hear it sound like that on my wedding day.
Wah!
Dreams go off in the couple's head as they are mesmerized by the music at mass....
That's it.
THIS is THE CHOIR!

Then they want it cheap...
Maybe budget $200 for the choir....just lump it all together and leave it for the choir to split it up among themselves.
Wah lao: you mean $60 for organist, conductor, trainer, laison....then got nothing left already for the 20 choir members that showed up. So technically, take $200 divided by 20....and it is more like $10 per person!!!!!


TIME TO RE-EDUCATE!

Technically, it takes 8 years to get to grade 8, it takes a few more years to get to diploma, and it took 18 years to get that Master of Music degree....with lots of time and monetary investment. I did not take a 2 week course on the pipe organ. I studied with Fr. Christophe for 5 years, learning a lot of Bach repertoire. I paid and studied the yamaha electone for 3 years....worked up from grade 9, 6 and 5. So TOTAL NO OF YEARS SPENT LEARNING: 26 years!!!!!
I am not playing for $60 or $100.
Again, if it is ministry....my talents are God given. I'm not going to charge God for the present he has given me.

An Analogy...

You hold an MBA. You are invited to speak at a seminar on a topic that you are the expert.
How much do you charge?
Speakers rate are about: $1 - 2K per hour.

PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN'S RATE:
String Quartet: $1,500 for half hour or 45 mins.


*****
Conflict of Delivery....

1. A professional 'gig' consisting of members of SCC form just to do weddings. With Deposit put down, contract of agreement drawn up, small ensemble with 1 or 2 singers.
Is this what the wedding couple want?
Remember, they want the Regina Coeli effect.

2. A group of volunteers who will volunteer 'ad hoc' from wedding to wedding. No fixed number, no fixed price, no fix....everything. Based on luck, and let's see who shows up.
Again, this is NOT going to deliver the Regina Coeli effect.
Suggested solution: you tape one wedding and you show couples, this is sample of what your wedding will sound like.....er.....not quite the Regina Coeli effect.

MY FINAL STAND....
I don't do weddings.
My rates are not $100 anymore.
Many years ago, as a teenager, maybe.
I played for that famous ballet school at Thomson Plaza and I believe the rate was $75 an hour and $15 transport fee. That time I was diploma holder.

Ok...
So it is a price thing?
So I would play if it is $500 a gig....any song....and if I don't know the piece, I'll learn it.
Church discount at $300 a gig.

Point is....
You'll get the people that want $300 quality....expect that, and are happy with that.
It will weed out the people who are looking for budget wedding.
That'll weed out too many weddings.

And then SCC can focus on singing for Mass....which is our REAL ministry.