Youth Choir survives budget crisis

The Youth Choir director's position won't be cut after all. I don't know yet about the Childrens' Choir or the Bell Choir jobs.
But I assume that Cheryl's departure has made it easier to find some money for other music program needs, though at a very high price to our church.
If anyone has solid information, I'd sure love to get it posted here so that we can all rely less on rumors.

Cheryl Wadsworth has resigned

Dear colleagues and choir members,
I am saddened to report that I resigned on Friday as Music Director. I gave 90 days notice and Jan, Ivan and Donna rejected that offer and asked me to leave immediately. I wish all of you the very best---I have had wonderful times and made excellent music with all of you over the last 8 years. I will be praying for you all that the church may heal from the recent divisiveness. [...]
Here is the text of my letter:

May 9, 2008

Dear Jan,

It is with deep regret that I tender my resignation from the post of Music Director. The recent difficulties with the church’s budget have made it clear to me that it is time to move on.

I have been truly blessed to have worked with you over the last several years. I know the difficulties of the last few months have tried our relationship, and I wish you only the best in the future.

I will remain for the 90 days notice period and assist in planning the music calendar for next year to effect a smooth transition to whomever may follow me. I expect my last day of work for the church will be August 7th and I will play the previous Sunday.

I already have July 20 and 27 covered for my vacation and expect to take two other Sundays in late June or early July---covering them with church members where possible.

Wishing you and the whole church the very best,

Sincerely,

Cheryl R Wadsworth

Special concert at church on Sunday, April 20

Concert to benefit the Rape Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) on Sunday April 20 at 4 pm called ‘Family and Friends’ at the Universalist Church of West Hartford, 433 Fern Street. Cynthia Wolcott and her brother Alan have gathered guests to play guitar, cello, and fiddles and sing in 2-, 3-and 4-part harmony. The donation at the door will be $10 for adults, $5 for children and senior citizens. There will be a reception in the program center following. Please join us for an afternoon of music--from roots and gospel music to Rogers and Hart-- to benefit one of Worth Magazine's 100 Best Charities.

No fingerpointing

From Donna Leibin, a church member for the past decade:

Dear Policy Board,

Thank you all for giving us the opportunity to voice our opinions today. Also, thank you all for the hours and endless energy that you contribute to our church. I was wondering if you might forward to the congregation through mail or email some key clarification points that came out of the meeting today.

1) that we are not eliminating the music program from our church, just cutting back and asking that members step up to the plate for more volunteers to work with our choirs.

2) that we are not eliminating RE, again just cutting back on spending, and in fact asking the director where she feels the cuts should come from within the program.

3) that a second minister is long overdue; let people know how overworked our minister is, and that with over 600 adults it is just an insult to not have this position filled.

4) pledging problems existed in this church for many years. We have talked this issue ad naseum. now it is time to talk of a solution and work with what we have. I for one am tired of hearing about the pledging problem and would like to just hear the solution of what we are going to do with what we have.

Also, I am respectfully asking that a policy board member have a conversation with Dick Krietner concerning his trying to tie the minister into the pledging problem.

This problem existed long before Rev. Nielsen became our minister. There are many, many, reasons behind this issue and to point a finger at the minister is irresponsible, especially when coming from somebody like Mr. Krietner who has been a long time member. I believe he is mis-informing people with pledging and membership statements and trying to tie it to the minister, and there is just no room for that kind of talk in this case. He is trying to create an issue that just doesn't exist and is not relevent.

Love is the spirit of this church and service its law, this our great covenant...to dwell together in peace, to seek the truth in love and to help one another...

It doesn't say anywhere in there, that we should point fingers and place blame, for problems that we have all created and must all solve together in the spirit of our affirmation.

New UU music guide lays out salaries, positions for a church our size

Oddly enough, it appears that even our existing music program isn't staffed to the level that the UU Church itself recommends. So how come we're looking at cutting it? Read the relevant book for yourself...

Music in Our Congregations: A Handbook for Staffing a Music Program in UU Congregations (last update in Feb. 2008)

Why the music matters

"As a minister, I hope people will leave remembering the sermon, but I know they might carry away a song and remember nothing I have said. That keeps me humble, but it also reminds me how important the music and the musicians are.
Finally, there are a few things to remember about the music. Although it may be really lively and even outrageous at times, it isn’t entertainment. It is there to bring us into a sacred time and place, to heal our wounds, to strengthen our resolve, to remind us of our values and to bring us joy." -- Reverend Dennis Hamilton, UUA

How to decide what to cut

Matt is absolutely on the mark with his plea that we endeavor "to avoid turning this debate into church constituency versus church constituency. " The reality is that all of us almost certainly support nearly everything that could be funded, from children's music to pastoral care.
But, as both Matt and the Policy Board have made clear, there's not enough money to do it all.
The necessity of balancing the books is pretty obvious, so the question becomes, how do we do the least harm possible as we bring spending in line with revenue?
My own view -- which I firmly believe is widely shared -- is that children come first.
Whatever else we do, we should not take steps that make our church less friendly, available and helpful to our young people. From the high school youth group to the children's choir, we need to preserve an atmosphere on Fern Street that embraces the dreams and talents of the people who are going to take over this church, and this world, someday. If cuts must be made, and I'm convinced we have no other options, then let's have them hit hardest on those of us who aren't still looking forward to graduation. Let the young people have it all even if the rest of us must accept less.
At this point, I don't really know all of the cuts that are being eyed. But the two most glaring examples of something that can't be axed without doing harm to our children are the proposals to slice away the directors of the youth and children's choirs. Do that and we've gutted something crucial. It would send a powerful message to our youth that the church doesn't look out for them. And, believe me, they're already watching to see whether we put them first or whether we don't.
I'm not sure what among all of the programs we offer is most deserving. I don't even want to try to guess. All I know for sure is that we can't sacrifice our youngest.
I don't think championing the children's cause is dividing the congregation because it's something we can all agree on. After preserving what we do for the young, let's do what we must, even if it's painful. But spare the kids.

Happiness is singing in the choir

The joy of singing

Choir member Lee Townsend sent along her thoughts on the proposed cuts. Here's what she wrote:

I am a member of the choir and have been singing in choirs since 4th grade (1954). My experience in my childhood church choir from 4th to 11th grade has completely molded my adult experience in music and hence my adult life. The harmonies in most Episcopal hymns are glorious. I am folk musician. I harmonize by ear whenever possible.

That internal ability to hear the harmonic progression in traditional secular and old time gospel music is a direct result of singing alto as a 4th grader. I cannot impress upon you how much joy being able to enrich the music brings me. It is the ultimate spiritual experience for me. Music and technical work are my two passions. I could not live without ether. I continue to be members of musical groups. I harmonize at folk concerts. I have performed at folk festivals. I put on musical Sunday services with Ellen Greist, a UU from Hamden. All these activities are due to that inner sense of what music is and what it can bring. I have taken the ability to hear the forest and the trees to classical music where I am able to hear the harmonic progression in that music as well. I may not always hit the right note but it is almost certainly in the chord somewhere. As a result of this skill, I am able to sight read fairly well and contribute to the spiritual experience of the congregation as well as the choir in the worship service. When I was last in Dallas I made it a priority to contact my choir director to thank her for the lifelong joy her choir gave to me.

Please do not cut the youth and children's choirs. They are our future choir members. They will be better camp song leaders, choir directors, folk musicians, classical musicians as a result of feeling the music at a deep level as I have. Their music will bring them peace when needed. It will also bring joy, sadness, and almost every other emotion. They will be able to reach out to the community to join in song. The joy of singing will have developed in large part because of choir membership as young people.

If the music program is to be cut I would suggest cutting the section leaders to half time and having more lay musicians on Sunday mornings. Most of our sections have at least a second member strong enough to take the lead with an occasional boost from the section leaders. We have many extremely talented non-section leaders who could enrich the Sunday morning worship service appropriately.

Thanks for listening.

Lee Townsend

Trying to make sense of the fiscal crisis...

We could hardly miss the fact that church leaders have been growing increasingly worried about the financial condition of our beloved church. The pleas for cash have been so constant that they sort of blurred into the background, easily ignored by most.
I suppose we all knew that unless money mysteriously poured into the treasury, something ugly was bound to happen. Now we have a glimmer at least of what that is: the erasure of all youth choirs, the bell choir and a slashing of the adult choir as well.
No doubt there are more cuts that haven't filtered out yet. They will.
But what is all about, really? That's a bit more foggy for most of us.
I grabbed a copy of the February 11 Policy Board minutes to try to make sense of what's happening. It only helped a little.
In that report, Patty Lee, our executive director, said that as of December, the church's income was down $92,365 over last year, due to our decision to switch to a fiscal year that starts in January.
But, the minutes go on to say, "Next month's reports will show a surplus as all of the prepaid pledge income received in 2007 for 2008 ($93,110) will be posted in January as 2008 income. Total expenses year to date are just bout on target with the budget. The balance of the loan from the endowment to operating ($28,458) was paid off at the end of December."
That only helps a bit. It appears from that that spending this year is on track with what the budget anticipated. That's always good.
What isn't clear is whether revenues are also on track, but given the barrage of pleas, I figure they must be falling well short.
Anyway, the other interesting thing in the minutes is a brief mention of a discussion about the associate minister. My understanding is that the Policy Board is determined to hire a second full-time minister to replace Jean (not that she can ever be replaced, of course!). Jean has worked part-time, in theory anyway. The minutes say that "John Weston, UUA needs to know ASAP about locating a candidate, but certainly no later than April 1." Presumably, Weston is helping us find that second minister. Weston is the ministerial settlement director for the national UU organization.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that we're moving ahead with making the second minister's job full-time rather than continuing the part-time slot that Jean has held while simultaneously moving to slice out a large chunk of what our church does for its youth. Or, to look at it another way, we're wiping out most of the music program to pay additional salary to a second minister.
That makes so little sense to me that I keep thinking I must be looking at it wrong. But I think that's how it is, though if I'm mistaken -- and I often am -- I hope the Policy Board will make it clear soon exactly what's happening.
What I am sure about is that we need a solid, understandable explanation of this crisis soon so that we can all have an intelligent discussion about what's going on.
I hope the meeting at 10 a.m. on Sunday is recorded and put on the church website so that everyone can listen to it, even if they can't attend. This is vitally important stuff to our future.

Update on April 2, 6:30 p.m. --The church's financial advisor, Peter Begin, explained to me in an email about the volatility of the church's finances. Here's what he had to say, which is clearly important:
"I wanted to clarify one thing that you brought up that is confusing and, frankly, runs the risk of distracting us from the broader, more important issues - the impact of changing the fiscal year. When our fiscal year ran from June 1st to May 31st, all the money collected in December was recorded as income in December. Most of our "big givers" make their full contribution in December for tax reasons. Now that we follow the calendar year for our fiscal year, this huge slug of money collected in December is for the NEXT fiscal year and can not be recorded as income in the year it is received. So, if you looked at our income statement for the 7 months from 6/1/07 - 12/31/07 (the transition period for the switch to the new year), you would see a huge loss. At the Policy Board meeting we explained that this loss is a little misleading because in January we record this slug of tax-motivated giving as income for 2008 and, voila, we're back in the black.
"HOWEVER, this too, doesn't tell the whole story because we'll end up running losses for most of the upcoming months and, eventually go in a deficit position again. This will cause us to have to borrow to meet payroll. It's a long way of saying that we have significant volatility within the year. WE NEED TO STAY FOCUSED ON THE FULL YEAR PICTURE."

Existing music programs at our church

This is the information about our existing music program contained here on the church website:

“…music is about as physical as it gets; your essential rhythm is your heartbeat; your essential sound, the breath. We’re walking temples of noise, and when you add tender hearts into the mix, it somehow lets us meet in places we couldn’t get to any other way” - Anne Lamott

The music program of The Universalist Church involves people of all ages and seeks to transform us through the power of the arts. Our choirs enrich worship and offer special events and concerts throughout the year.

Adults and teens who would like to share in music ministry may choose from several choirs. Depending on interest, they may join The Universalist Church Choir, The Folk Heritage Singers and/or The Bell Choir. We also have a Children’s Choir for children in grades 1-3, and a Youth Choir for children in grades 4-7, both choirs led by talented directors who have degrees in music education and vocal pedagogy.

Universalist Church Choir

Directed by Cheryl Wadsworth, The Universalist Church Choir is the primary leader of our musical worship. This choir performs all levels of works and from all eras. On Music Sundays, which occur twice a year, the choir sings larger, extended works, often with extra instruments accompanying. Rehearsals are on Wednesday evenings. Some experience in singing is recommended. Our director, Cheryl Wadsworth, holds degrees from UConn and Yale School of Music and the Institute of Sacred Music, and is on the faculty of the Hartt School of Music, Community Division.

Folk Heritage Choir

The Folk Heritage Singers perform quality folk music at the 11 o’clock services about 6-8 times per year. Rehearsals are 45 minutes before service. The singers often learn their music that morning before sharing it in worship. All are welcome to join this group at any time.

Bell Choir

Teens or adults interested in learning to play handbells are encouraged to attend a rehearsal. Past experience in music is an asset since the group plays music with varying levels of difficulty. Those with little or no prior musical experience will be given additional assistance with music fundamentals such as rhythm or note-reading and will be paired with an experienced bell ringer. Experienced ringers may sign up for 6-8 week rehearsal commitments prior to a performance. Rehearsals are on Sundays from 12:30-1:30 PM. The choir is directed by Theodore Hine, who holds degrees from Harvard and San Francisco Conservatory.

Children’s Choir

Directed by Connecticut-certified music educator, Stacey Tinker, the goal of the Children’s Choir is for children in grades 1-3 to have fun while they learn the basics of music: listening, singing in tune, basic note-reading, and an introduction to intervals. All children are encouraged to participate regardless of previous musical instruction or ability. Rehearsals are on Sundays 10-10:45 AM.

Youth Choir

The Youth Choir is directed by Louise Fauteux, who holds a masters in vocal pedagogy from Westminster Choir college. The Youth Choir consists of children and youth in grades 4-7 and periodically provides music for church services. Along with an opportunity for spiritual expression, members receive some music education, including healthy vocal production and skills in reading music. Rehearsals are held on Sundays from 10:00 to 10:45 AM.

Crisis at our church

There’s a crisis at our church. In a bid to save money so that a second minister can be hired, the Policy Board plans to slash our cherished music program to its very core.

Here is what Cheryl Wadsworth, the music director, wrote today:

Dear Choirs and our Directors,
This email may be forwarded to your families and members. This Sunday April 6, I leave it up to the Directors to skip any rehearsals that occur between the services and encourage all families to attend an important meeting that will be held in our sanctuary.
This Sunday at 10 AM the Policy Board will hold a forum between the services on the budget cuts that are proposed. Beginning June 1, we could potentially lose the Children, Youth and Bell Choir Directors and the section leaders of the UCChoir. These people are going to be very difficult to replace even if this is seen as only a temporary thing. My Music Director salary and hours cut is not the most important thing---it is the cutting of the chance for our children to express themselves through sacred music. The discipline of music is akin to meditation and a spiritual practice in and of itself---when done in our community of choirs, it becomes a ministry. I have presented my concerns about these cuts to the Policy Board and to Jan but this Sunday it is the members’ responsibility to speak and be heard.
I hope that all of you can be at the forum this Sunday at 10 AM in which the Policy Board will talk about this and solicit input from congregation. If any of you have questions for Policy Board members prior to the forum, please contact them. You may also call me if you have any questions about my recommendations.
Peace to all of you and love for the music in all your hearts,
Cheryl

The youth choir director, Louis Fauteux, added in another email that she believes “cutting out these ensembles is a drastic move that does not reflect the wishes of many members.” She wrote to choir members that wiping out the youth and children’s choirs would erase “years of work done by a team of musicians.”

“To me, this is not just a matter of ‘liking music’ or not,” Fauteux wrote. “The experience of singing for service tells kids that they are respected, they have a voice, and their contributions matter.”

Slashing the choirs, of course, is a surefire way to tell all the children involved that their contributions don’t matter, a terrible message to send to our young people, who are the future of our church.

For the UU Players, this proposed move is potentially disastrous. The church choirs are a main training ground for new singers and actors who wind up on our stage. They feed our group and they help build our audience. Losing them might well cripple the troupe in the years to come.

What’s important now is that everyone who wants to preserve the high priority placed on our music programs needs to show up at the 10 a.m. Sunday meeting in the sanctuary and make your voice heard. No policy proposal is set in stone. And this one, which the congregation as a whole certainly would not support, needs to be changed before it damages the fabric of a church that so many generations have labored hard to build. Please help in any way you can.