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There is an argument that performing professional services for free is unethical. It depresses the market and makes it impossible for others to be paid.

And because using unskilled volunteers has become so common, the expectations for high quality music have been reduced, and appalling performances are now acceptable.

When I decided to help out our music director with the piano, my teacher told me not to get into hymns yet. She said i can start doing an offertory music, communion music, prelude, postilude or something that can be prepared beforehand. I can sight read four part chorales at home. But she told me its totally different to read music under pressure and have to improvise to respond to any situation. So I started observing the organist / pianist closely. She was absolutely correct. Somedays she had to improvise because you have too many people or handicapped elderly etc. some other days she had to find a way to end a piece quickly. I think it will be good to offer to play a piece or two for the part of service until you feel comfortable.

I started my first church gig and I was upfront about not being religious. They were fine with that. Not all of them will be, but don't be offended. Here are some things to consider:

- Some churches call this "leading worship", and so it is understandable with such a title that they would want someone who is of their faith to lead them in worshipping. Be honest and upfront about your faith or lack thereof, and take it from there.

- You say you're a relatively new beginner. What does that mean? Do you have the skills to lead a congregation?

I sing with the praise team for my church. I also direct the choir for our Christmas musical. There is a paid music pastor there who is in charge of the band, music selection, prayer, and generally what we do. I am happy to do this for free for my home church. If they offered to pay me, I don't know if I'd accept or not. I really cannot donate money to the church, so this is my way of donating. Why is this unethical?

By the way, I think the quality of musicians in the band and praise team is pretty high in general. It was one of the things that drew me to the church to begin with.

I know of many churches with lots of money that do pay people to perform, especially for Christmas and Easter services. Many don't care what faith you are (or if you have any). I haven't even tried to get a paid position elsewhere because that would take me away from my church family. I'm sure that is how the other musicians feel as well (I'm not sure if band members get paid). So these people who want to offer something for free are not creating a "depressed market" because they aren't in the market.

They aren't in the market, but they eliminate a large part of the market.

At my own church I play and direct for free, though I have some qualms. At any other church I will not do so, for this very reason. We volunteers are taking the bread-and-butter away from people who need it. It really is considered offensive by performing musicians.

I just heard about a handbell director who has a unique approach to this problem. She charges $2,000 for her services and has the church write it into the annual budget. Then she donates it back and takes the tax deduction. When she leaves, if the church has to hire they know what it costs and are prepared.

I'm not taking bread and butter away form anyone simply because the person who is making bread and butter at my church (the worship leader) is getting paid. I'm not sure if band members are also paid, but I know the praise team is volunteer. It's not different than me being in a volunteer choir. Also, many smaller churches just don't have the membership to support paid musicians, so even if they had no one, they would not be able to be in the market for someone to pay.

I get the sense from the OP that s(he) is a relative beginner. That's a potential barrier if the person doesn't belong to the church.

In my experience, churches usually have a paid music director who is either a voice, piano, or organ specialist. That director is often quite competent at two of the three, or at all three of the three!

There is very little need for outsider beginners. The church does use professional musicians, but they bring some unique talent or training. I have seen professional brass players, great African drum specialists, and Celtic musicians for a Celtic service. [My youngest has actually played at Celtic services around the region, often for pay.]

The church's kids do get the opportunity to play a piece now and again as an offering. That's on a volunteer basis, and it occurs only once in a while (except over the summer, when it is more regular).

If I offer piano lessons at $5 a week, will that affect your earning power? I'll get a lot of students that can't afford your rates anyway so I'm not hurting you, right?

It's not a simple issue. Most of us like to play, and most of us would rather give actual service than write a check; it feels more genuine. But we need to be careful where and when we provide unpaid services. When we undervalue ourselves we tend to also undervalue all musicians, and they are not all pleased.

We pay our DOM (director of music). He does the organ and vocal choir. (I do the handbells, Christmas pageant, and all the extras that come up as a volunteer.) We don't pay him enough to live on, nor do any of the traditional churches (the megachurches are a different story). Since nobody can make a living as an organist, most of the music schools have dropped the major. I'm on the hiring committee and it is a real struggle to find anybody. But scarcity has not caused the price to rise.

Very true. When I had a Praise & Worship team I did take beginners, but they were part of the community, and I could assign them parts within their capability.

If you're a beginner, the most likely opportunity is within your own church.

If you're not a beginner, you should offer to substitute. In my area $175 per service would be fair to charge though I think it's below scale. It's okay to do one freebie as an audition, but after that if you're good enough to play you're good enough to be paid.

This is different, because I am getting paid to teach. There are teachers who teach for free out there, I'm sure, but they aren't the vast majority. Also, my students are not charitable organizations whom I can choose to teach for free. I may do this, at my discretion, but it's never been a good thing in the long run, I've found.

My church, however, IS a charitable organization. As such, they depend on volunteers to clean the building, teach Sunday school and Bible studies, run lights and sound tech, head up Christmas musicals, run Awana programs, and other outreach programs. Sure, these could probably be done, and done very well by paid professionals in those respective fields, but the whole purpose of the church is to help one another, and to do it of their own volition. It is how they manage to survive week in and week out.

I have no problem with the church offering to pay any of the professionals that they use. If I were approached and offered to get paid by my church, I'd probably do what your friend does and turn that right back around and give it to them. But they haven't, and I am not going to ask. I know that if I had said no when they asked, they would have found someone else or made do without my help. What I do is not and never was a paid position.

Now that I think of it, my church let me use their space when I did summer voice program. I was able to teach class there in the mornings and we were able to perform there at the end of the 2 week class. They didn't charge me for it. I suppose they're undercutting the facilities that wanted to charge me $800 for use of their space for one day, but I wasn't in that market.

I would love to give a check as well as my time. Perhaps circumstances will allow me to in the future.

It is unfortunate you cannot pay him enough to live on. As far as I know, our music director doesn't do any other jobs on the side. His wife recently decided to home school their 4 children, so his is the only income. So I have to assume that he's getting paid a decent amount. I think it's VERY important to pay people that do this as their one and only job. The incidental stuff, however, I don't think it is necessary if both parties are happy with that arrangement.

I did put a lot of thought into doing this, because I used to have a part time music director job at a church. It made it very hard for me to worship and it was "work" (hmm, maybe "workship" is a better name for that). At any rate, it's been many years and I'm at a different church, and glad to do what I can for them.

I presume this is why you do all that you do for free? And if so, you don't feel bad if you're undercutting other professionals?

I read the "free musicians take it away from the pros" argument all the time. One of my brothers is a professional musician and makes a decent living at it.

But - pfft on that argument in this instance I volunteer (piano playing) at one assisted living home and get paid at 3 others. I used to volunteer music at an adult day care center, too. But some of the folks there got paid.

I'm a bookkeeper specializing in non-profits. I've been the paid bookkeeper at 3 different churches. If I felt the same way about my job as the musicians who are upset that I play music for free I'd be mad at every volunteer church treasurer out there.

It's nuts. IMNSHO I *know* there are musicians who feel that way. But being a soloist in your own church choir? Being the piano player for your own church? Or the praise leader? or the Christmas choir director? It's a church community, for heaven's sake (oh, probably that's right in more ways than one!)

As for volunteering, or playing for less, at a church to which you don't belong - to me there's no difference than playing at assisted living homes.

I have played at a restaurant for free. They got what they paid for And there are other bands/people who will, just to get off the ground. And I'm far enough along in my career that I don't do bookkeeping for free - well, once in awhile for a small job - but a lot of students are doing internships for free as part of getting their college degrees in fields they will later be working in. So it's not just musicians.

And I for sure don't think all those volunteer church treasurers are taking business away from me. Nor is the treasurer of our dance organization, who files our tax returns. Communities run on volunteers.

So again, I've heard the arguments. I just think it's more nuanced than "every volunteer musician is taking money from the pockets of professional musicians." I can't imagine any of the pro piano players around town being paid at, or even wanting to play for, The Lucky Bean coffee shop on Sat afternoon

Cathy

What? That's my next gig! What do you mean they're not gonna pay me?!? Well, I'll just take my fancy playing elsewhere. (all in jest of course) :P

They went out of business. I don't *think* I had anything to do with it -

Cathy

You didn't ... it was the sign on top of the piano ...

"Play For Our Customers and We'll Put Your Coffee In A Clean Cup."