Required Reading

When the document speaks about "consumer mentality" it is right on target. Some of the protesters against capitalism in the 60's seemed to have had a major conversion experience afterwards when they found out you could make money at music and make even more money so long as the musical fashions change every few years. With our 2000 year history, we can do better.

Much of what our own bishops and their consultants say in Music in Catholic Worship and Liturgical Music Today is still relevant and great food for thought.

I can't find them online, but they are available in the LTP collections of Liturgy Documents.

One of the things I find worth thinking about is the emphasis these documents place on singing the liturgy (psalmody, acclamations,etc.) rather than singing at the liturgy. One of our occasional helpers likes to sing Immaculate Mary during the preparation of the table and gifts when he presides! It's also common at our place to ask a weekday assembly to caterwaul opening and closing hymns whilst muttering the Amen at the end of the Eucharistic Prayer.

As I understand it, the lineamenta is basically a digest of all the concerns expressed by the various bishops, and the "talking points" for their discussions.
While I wholeheartedly endorse every last one of the suggestions, I think those of us who are hopeful that all this will come about are setting oursevles up for a BIG fall if we try to present these points as have any authority AT PRESENT.
But all that means is that we put our prayers lives into overdrive that they eventually ARE promulgated in some authoratative way.
And this time it won't be like, Musicam Sacram, for instance.
Thanks to the internet (we need a patron saint for the internet! ANy ideas?) musicians can all be aware of, and thoroughly knowledgeable about any documents with any standing usually BEFORE the liturgical establishment gets to to put their spin on it, they won't have to rely on "interpretations" which distort (or in some cases uttertly contradict) the true teachings in order to push some other agenda.

Not that I feel STRONGLY about it or anything....

Ugh...

What to do when a Pastor wants you to move in a direction completely opposite to that of the Church?

It is just a difficult when a Pastor wants to move in the direction of the church and he meets resistance from choir members.

I have to agree with Maureen on this one. MCW and LMT already dealt with many of these issues two and three decades ago. Do we think there's not been improvement? Perhaps good liturgical music involves more than giving pastors and musicians marching orders which are or aren't followed to a degree.

At some point, you have to consider how to inspire people to advocate for and lead people and choirs in better church music. I see that happening when more musicians come down from the choir loft (or out from the guitar amps) and making connections with young musicians in the pews. While hopefully avoiding the cult of personality of JPII, we need more people who will take good musicians under their wing.

Don't bet the synod will come up with what we really need. I expect more of the same: pious pronouncements on high-set bars but no support to reach them.