Thoughts on Cantorial Burnout
I’m not certain, but my suspicion is that, during the so-called “Golden Age” of cantors, and the glory days of Rosenblatt, Hershman, Roitman and Kwartin, cantorial burnout was simply not an issue. As I noted in my previous email to our colleagues, the role of the cantor and the scope of the cantorate has changed dramatically since the “Golden Age.” Even if you were not a star cantor, from the late 19th century through the mid-20th century, the role of most cantors was often delimited to leading shabbat and holiday services and officiating at lifecycle of events. The not so kind question often asked of cantors was, “so what do you do between Sunday and Friday?” Those cantors who could afford to devote themselves solely to the cantorial art wrote music, arranged compositions, recorded, or taught voice. Others, perhaps with lesser star attraction, often served as mohalim, shochtim, melamdim, baalei tefillah, and did whatever weddings or funerals they could find.
When the Hebrew Union College – Jewish institute of Religion, largely through the indefatigable efforts of Eric Werner and A.W. Binder, opened the doors of its School of Sacred Music, many of its students found their way to the cantorate as a wonderful opportunity for a second career.
By the time I got to HUC-JIR in the late 1960s, because it was, at that time, an undergraduate program, there were a number of us who came right from high school. However, there were several older students for whom this was an intriguing opportunity for a second career. Indeed, there were a number of cantors already serving congregations who were public school teachers, insurance salespersons, freelance singers, and working in other unrelated non- clerical employment. One could hardly blame them, as cantorial salaries were abysmally low and often without any benefits, such as pension.
Up until the founding of the ACC, placement was in the hands of agents who relied on newspaper ads to promote their clients. At the time, the cantorate provided an opportunity for people with another career to earn a nice income for the limited responsibilities the cantorate demanded. For example, those cantors who were public school teachers finished at school by 3:00 and went off to their congregations to teach b’nai mitzvah or work with volunteer choirs for a few hours. One job seldom interfered with the other. Unfortunately, this model only served to perpetuate the epithet that “the cantorate was the best part-time job,” and reinforced the notion that the cantor was merely a religious functionary, not a member of the clergy, like a rabbi.
Those days, no one talked about cantorial burnout - the symptoms of which may include self-doubt, a lack of motivation, a pessimistic and defeatist attitude, a sense of detachment, cynicism, loss of joy, and a loss of a sense of accomplishment in one’s work. Back then, there just wasn’t enough time or energy invested in the life of a congregation to cause a sense of being enmeshed and overwhelmed with the exigencies of congregational life. Despite the demise of the old two-career model of the cantorate, and the incredible strides we have made in professionalizing the modern cantorate where our ordinations and our clergy status are not in dispute, burnout has become a growing issue among our colleagues.
Burn out is not limited to a cantor’s mid-career or final years. Burnout can occur even in the cantor’s early years perhaps due to residual emotional and physical fatigue from their student years or, today, certainly as a result of COVID and zoom fatigue.
It is a very rare cantor, engaged in full-time congregational work, who has the luxury of appearing in their synagogue at 3:00 in the afternoon a few day of the week and on shabbat.
Most of our colleagues have a heavy load of pastoral an educational responsibilities. They are involved in development work, planning, and strategic initiatives, and active in communal affairs. There are regular clergy and staff meetings, and cantors are expected to be actively involved in their congregation’s early childhood programs, religious schools, and the myriad of temple activities.
The ACC has worked tirelessly to promote the concept that a cantor is an essential part of the life of the synagogue. As a result, one might characterize cantorial burnout as “the failure of success.” Burnout is very real and very concerning. Indeed it may well be the reason many colleagues are struggling in their congregational work and even leaving the cantorate. It may, as well, be a significant factor in the decreasing admission rate we are seeing in cantorial programs.
If you are experiencing burnout I urge you to speak with someone who can help you generate strategies to reduce the sense of frustration and restore the joy that you once felt as for the privilege of ministering to those who look to us for guidance, strength, and the sacred connection to enduring Jewish values. We owe this to ourselves, to the cantorate, and to those we serve, as we are reminded of the awesome charge we all received at our ordinations - to assume the mantle of leadership of the Jewish people. It is indeed a heavy burden to carry, but one you need not carry alone.