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Sirota delves deeply into the reasons church musicians do their jobs in the face of poor pay and limited opportunities for advancement, offering the reader a pastoral understanding without avoiding the challenging questions that every church musician must consider. She has an uncanny ability to name that which lies at the heart of the sacred artist's craft.
Addressed directly and conversationally to the working musician in church or synagogue and those with whom they work, Sirota explores issues that are well-chosen for their understanding of "insider's information" and sensibilities to art, beauty, scripture, and pastoral care. Her personal reflection is balanced with probing questions from someone who's "been there" and is well-known to multi-denominational church musicians, as a gifted preacher and writer, a scholar, and a professional performing artist.
"BOTH MINISTER AND MUSICIAN, Victoria Sirota has a unique take on the role of music in church. She urges us to move beyond the conventional wisdom and the historic antagonisms between the clergy and those who make music, and she wisely suggests that we should not be caught in the hopeless culture wars about taste. In a field where sound advice, imagination, and charity are in short supply, this book will become an invaluable resource for all who care about music and the church in the twenty-first century."
—Peter J. Gomes, Plummer Professor of Christian Morals, Harvard Divinity School
"THIS IS A COURAGEOUS BOOK on a touchy subject: the relationship between church musicians and clergy. It probes the depths of one's vocation and the integrity of one's spirituality."
—Carolyn H. Darr, SSM, Superior, Sisters of St. Margaret, Boston
"THE BRIEF CHAPTERS ARE LIKE BEADS on a bracelet worn to bring health. Honest, personal, winy, and always pointing toward the deeper spiritual dimensions of the call to be a sacred musician; Victoria Sirota addresses some of the most vexing pastoral and human dimensions of music ministry. And you can tell, she's been there!"
—Don E. Saliers, Wm. Cannon Distinguished Professor of Theology and Worship, Emory University, Atlanta
"THIS IS ESSENTIAL READING for everyone who is privileged to be a guide to our conversation with the Almighty' through music and for all of us who care about this high calling."
—Thomas H. Schattauer, Professor of Liturgics and Dean of the Chapel, Wartburg Theological Se1ninary, Dubuque, lowa
“NO PRIEST OR MUSICIAN involved in the worship process should be without this book. The author's words are wonderfully informative, in that illuminating way that true teachers have. You will want to keep this book handy as a reference and for those days when you need help with problems or, thankfully, when you just need a little affirmation and encouragement."
—Gerre Hancock, Professor of Music, the University of Texas at Austin, and Organist and Master of Choristers Emeritus, St. Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue, New York