I did ask her if we could examine my pay scale in relationship to recommended salaries for church musicians. She told me that  she did examine pay scales when the church made me an offer. I remember just now that I asked for a couple extra thousand at the time. My explicit expressed rationale was my experience of church work is that the musician often didn’t get a raise.

This has actually been borne out. They froze all of our salaries this year. But it was due to the economic downturn.

It occurred to me that it’s very possible that I am one of the least paid people at my parish. I haven’t monitored other people’s salaries. Hell, I don’t even know exactly what I make. I think it’s in the low 20s.

Anyway, my boss readily agreed to at least examine where we are on pay scales.

I hate money and I hate worrying about money. I had a call from the American Education Services yesterday. They left two messages on my machine. I was a bit late with my payment for my younger daughter’s expensive UK education loan that we are covering for her until she gets on her feet. So maybe that’s what that’s about. I’ll call today.

After our meeting my boss went to the Farmers Market, but I chose to come home and grab some lunch before going back for a worship commission meeting.

I’m pretty sure I’m working more than the standard part time 20 hours a week. Organ practice is almost that much in and of itself (2 hours a day is 14 hours a week and sometimes I practice a bit more than that). Then there’s everything else including these meetings.

AGO pay scale for someone with a masters is spread over 28 K to 39 K salary with 10 to 14 K bennies. I don’t think I’m anywhere near that.

After my worship commission meeting, I practiced organ for a couple hours and got home in time to make supper for Eileen and me.

Then off to a grueling 3 hour rehearsal of Oklahoma. It was grueling because for much of the rehearsal we sat on our hands in the pit while they fine tuned the choreography of dance numbers.

This morning I meet with the synth player for the musical “A funny thing happened on the way to the forum.” He is the musician for the local Methodist church. He’s going to train me to sub for him on Sunday, next Friday and next Saturday. It should be okay. Although reading through this score I am finding it more difficult than Oklahoma.

Finished reading “Washington Square” by Henry James last night. I read it on my little computer after downloading the entire book in New York. Actually spent some time in the real Washington Square while we there. It’s a stone’s throw from where my quasi-son-in-law works (NYU).

Spoiler (hah) warning on this book

At first I was annoyed with James description of the father in this story. He’s a self satisfied highly competent New York doctor whose opinion of his daughter is that she is not quite up to the standards of his deceased wife, her mother. Then James introduces this slimey guy who professes love for the daughter just to get the doctor’s money. And there is a busybody aunt who lives with them, equally repelling.

Fortunately, the book seems to be a study in the character development of the daughter who realizes the lame love her father has for her, sees through the suitor eventually and puts the aunt in her place and remains old but gloriously single at the end.

It mostly takes place in house on Washington Square in New York City, hence the title and my interest in this book.