Singing

[Pia77]

Hello - my 7 year old boy is currently fighting leukaemia. Since it was diagnosed 10 months ago his body has been through a lot and due to this, sport is not currently very possible for him. He used to be so proud of his sporty achievements and loved being good at something. Recently, however, he has taken to singing and has a 30 minute singing lesson once a week at school. He misses quite a lot of school but goes to great lengths to ensure he makes his singing lessons whenever possible as they mean so much to him. At my mums suggestion we sent a 30 Sec recording of his voice to a cathedral choir school and they’ve replied asking us to come to see them to audition. He is so proud and excited but I’m worried that if he gets rejected it’d be a kick in the teeth (after a lot of kicks in the teeth recently) His voice has a beautiful quality, he holds a tune but struggles to hit the high notes. Can anyone tell me whether this is something that can be improved with the kind of choral training that these kids get or should I pull out of this audition to save him from potential heartbreak?
I appreciate this is a bit of a niche question but it’s really burning my biscuit
TIA

Hi there OP, just giving this a bit of a bump for you now we've moved it to Chat.

Hi, I think you can. I heard years ago that if you are trying to reach a high note, you should try to go a little bit above it and then down, (naturally people go from below). That’s all. Hugs and best of luck!

At the risk of weighing in on something I know nothing about, could you call the school, explain the situation and see what they say?

I'm sure they feedback sensitively anyway, but it would be good for you to sound them out, maybe?

Yes! Absolutely! Choir schools are looking for potential, not technical skill at such a young age.

Has he been invited in for an informal assessment pre audition or is he auditioning?

I'm guessing it's local cathedral choir you are looking at rather than boarding school? Perhaps his singing teacher will be able to advise you? Have you looked at the admissions process, some choirs have later entry so this might not be his only chance?

That said, he's been through so much and it is very competitive (and a big commitment) so I can understand your concerns. If you do decide to go ahead, maybe you can downplay it a bit before the audition, but then, afterwards, big up what an achievement it is to even be asked? Eg it's not like being picked for the school team, it's more like competing on a county/national level.

There are other amazing opportunities out there too, the National Children's Choir, National Boy's Choir, county choirs...So if this doesn't work out, there are other things to aim for as he clearly has a beautiful voice.

Thanks all. I have explained everything to the school. It is a residential boarding school but it’s near to where we live and not far from the hospital at which he’s treated. I am going to go and see the school on my own to discuss our situation to see if they would be prepared to adapt their usual rules to enable him to be at home for the next couple of years. Essentially I’m going to get a feel for the place and see if it would suit him before I let him see around and before we go for an audition. He wouldn’t start until next September but his treatment - albeit less intensive - continues for 3. He’s desperate to go having seen the choir and visited the website. I can’t bear the thought of him boarding - they do sound prepared to be flexible from our initial conversations... but I can’t imagine how that would work (aside from me driving him back and forth at all hours which I’d do but it would be tough...) I will look at other options too - there are plenty. Thanks for your replies c