salary

2011 Salary Guide for Musicians Employed by Religious Institutions

Musicians with fewer than five years experience should be considered at the lower compensation levels; those with greater
experience at the higher levels. Musicians with outstanding abilities or positions requiring exceptional performance may exceed the
chart figures. Be sure your experience, background, education and certification have specific relevance to the employer.
The first figure in each box is the Base Salary (Base:); the second figure represents benefits (Ben:). Members should recognize that
almost everything can be negotiable. Medical insurance, for example, may be less expensive for the employer to furnish than a
specific salary request, and the cost of a private policy for the employee might exceed the difference between the salary offer and
request. Compensation should equal the total compensation figure (Total:).
Consult the AGO Model Contract Provisions www.agohq.org and other resources for negotiable terms and ‘talking points.’

Approximate Size
Of Position
(Avg hrs/wk)

Doctorate in Organ
or Sacred Music
or FAGO Certificate

Master's Degree in Organ or
Sacred Music
or AAGO Certificate

Bachelor's Degree in Organ
or Sacred Music
or CAGO Certificate

Associate Degree
Private Study/Etc.
or Service Playing
Certificate

Full Time (40 hrs.)	Base: $60,836 - $81,177 Ben: $20,079 - $26,790 Total: $80,915 -$107,967	Base: $54,005 - $72,116 Ben: $18,363 - $24,516 Total: $72,368 - $96,632	Base: $47,469 - $62,498 Ben: $15,662 - $20,625 Total: $63,131 - $83,123	Base: $37,599 -$50,409 Ben: $12,788 -$17,138 Total: $50,387 -$67,547
3/4 Time (30 hrs.)	Base: $44,605 - $60,836 Ben: $16,067 - $21,903 Total: $60,672 - $82,739	Base: $39,643 - $54,005 Ben: $14,319 - $19,444 Total: $53,962 - $73,449	Base: $34,353 - $47,469 Ben: $13,051 - $18,034 Total: $47,404 - $65,503	Base: $27,685 -$37,599 Ben: $9,968 -$13,531 Total: $37,653 -$51,130
1/2 Time (20 hrs.)	Base: $32,473 - $44,605 Ben: $12,012 - $16,505 Total: $44,485 - $61,110	Base: $28,856 - $39,643 Ben: $10,678 - $14,669 Total: $39,534 - $54,312	Base: $24,953 - $34,353 Ben: $9,487 - $13,051 Total: $34,440 - $47,404	Base: $20,166 -$27,685 Ben: $7,465 -$10,242 Total: $27,631 -$37,927
3/8 Time (15 hrs.)	Base: $23,413 - $32,473 Ben: $9,137 - $12,656 Total: $32,550 - $45,129	Base: $20,876 - $28,888 Ben: $7,936 - $10,973 Total: $28,812 - $39,861	Base: 18,111 - $24,953 Ben: $6,886 - $9,482 Total: $24,997 - $34,435	Base: $14,690 -$20,166 Ben: $5,432 - $7,465 Total: $20,122 -$27,631
1/4 Time (10 hrs.)	Base: $17,095 - $23,413 Ben: $6,328 - $8,661 Total: $23,423 - 32,074	Base: $15,039 - $20,876 Ben: $5,717 - $7,936 Total: $20,756 - $28,812	Base: $12,985 - $18,111 Ben: $4,935 - $6,886 Total: $17,920 - $24,997	Base: $10,592 -$14,695 Ben: $4,022 - $5,585 Total: $14,614 -$20,280

It is the policy of the American Guild of Organists not to discriminate on the basis of sex, age, disability, race, color, religion,
marital status, veteran’s status, national or ethnic
origin, or sexual orientation.
For assistance in calculating the difference in the cost of living between geographic areas consult
http://www.bls.gov./cpi/home.htm.
For example, if you want to calculate the difference for NYC compared to National:

For the most recent data comparison
a) Under Economic News Releases click on Current CPI (HTML) (the first line).
b) Click on "Table 1".
c) In the column labeled Aug '08 (most recent data) read first line"All items"
219.086 = National Average on Aug. '08 data. (Note: It is updated monthly.)
d) Go back to original screen.
e) Under "Regional Resources" on the lower right of the screen, click on "select an MSA", then NYC;
then click on "GO".
f) Read the number for August '08--240.550 = NYC based on Aug. '08 data.
g) Divide 240.550/219.086 = 1.098
h) Subtract 1.0 and multiply x 100 to convert to percentage. 1.054
Conclusion: Based on the most recent available data, NYC CPI is 9.8% higher than the National Average.