Choir Schools

Written by Judith Fenn

It is fair to say that a choir school can offer a truly unique opportunity, twinning first-class independent and musical education. As Christmas approaches, and the eyes and ears of the country turn to Cambridge, King’s College and the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, this month we will take a look at choir schools, and why they are an excellent choice for musical children.

There are 34 choir schools, attached to cathedrals, churches or college chapels within the Independent Schools Council group of schools. These cater for children aged between 7 and 18, although most of them focus on the 7-13 age range. They educate some 15,000 pupils, including 1000 choristers, 90% of whom qualify for financial help with fees. This fee assistance comes either from the schools themselves, or via the government which operates the Choir Schools’ Scholarship Scheme.

In the Cambridge area, there are 3 ISC choir schools: King’s College School which has been admitting choristers since 1447, and holds voice trials in October and January; St John’s College School, with choristers in situ since the early 16th Century, and holding annual trials in September; and King’s Junior School, Ely, which has 22 boy choristers and a cathedral girls’ choir (with auditions for this held in the February of each year prior to admittance to the school in September) as well. 

Most choristers are admitted to choirs between the ages of 7 and 9, and are expected to be full boarders owing to the level of time and commitment required. They would usually be expected to play a musical instrument, and take singing lessons and music theory lessons. Choir schools look for vocal potential, a good musical ear and enthusiasm for singing in a prospective chorister, all of which must be demonstrated in their audition.

As you will undoubtedly imagine, combining being a chorister with the same academic curriculum as non-choristers in the school can be demanding – rehearsals commonly take place before and after the normal school day, and there will be additional rehearsals on Saturdays and Sundays for regular services. A passion for music is therefore crucial; being a chorister cannot be done without full commitment, and the willingness to give up out-of-school time for something you love. At the same time, choristers are the recipients of all of the benefits of an independent education, while gaining musical knowledge and singing ability unavailable to the vast majority of children their age.

If your child is dreaming of becoming a chorister, you need to start preparing for auditions. They are usually around 10 minutes long, during which applicants will need to sing a short piece they have prepared and be tested on other aspects of singing. This is in addition to the normal process of application used by the school for those not auditioning to be choristers.
The following are some useful links for those wishing to find out more. The Choir Schools Association represents schools up and down the country; the scholarship scheme can provide more information on what help with fees is available, and; the websites of the three ISC choir schools in Cambridgeshire.

Choir Schools Association
Choir Schools’ Scholarship Scheme
King’s College, Cambridge
St John’s College School, Cambridge
King’s Junior School, Ely

Judith Fenn and Ian Summersgill work for ISCias (Independent Schools Council information & advice service) giving information to parents about Independent schools.

Further information
More information on school fee assistance
Scholarships
Music scholarships
Choral scholarships / choir schools

Related posts:

• Looking for schools offering bursaries or other types of school fee assistance?
• How much of the population actually went to independent schools: 7% or 14%?
• Prep Schools – A Tough Decision?
• How can schools think strategically to cope better with the rapidly changing digital landscape?
• Pre preparatory, prep, junior, senior and sixth form what do they mean

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 at 2:20 pm by Judith Fenn and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.