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Education

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Original poster

Does your school have a choir

71 replies

6beetrootsAmilking · 05/12/2006 09:01

After watching 'The Choir' last night, was amazed that the school they chose did not have a choir or any history of one. Is this common?

OP posts:

winnie · 05/12/2006 09:07

beetroot, I think this is very common. I found the programme very thought provoking and quite sad. I loved being in the choir at school and particularly at primary school there was a culture of singing. I am afraid that I feel that the national curriculum has sidelined an awful lot of the arts, music being one of them

winnie · 05/12/2006 09:08

In answer to the question dd's secondary school had no choir and ds's primary has no choir.

Waswondering · 05/12/2006 09:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

6beetrootsAmilking · 05/12/2006 09:12

I think the working together to make a wonderful sound is a fantastic education - those kids had talent which was not being taped - it gives confidnecs, an understanding of so many kinds of music and even helps with sight reading -

Such a shame!

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Original poster

6beetrootsAmilking · 05/12/2006 09:12

winnie - would you set one up?

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julienetmum · 05/12/2006 09:20

Dh goes into schools and sets up school choirs. However the school has to chose to pay the LEA music service for this.

He found the program very interesting and quite an accurate reflection.

He is very excited at the moment as one of his schools is using G & T money to set up a vocal academy type thing.

winnie · 05/12/2006 09:23

Beetroot, I am not sure I have the skills to but I think the issue is worth bringing up at school.

Original poster

6beetrootsAmilking · 05/12/2006 09:24

Juliet, how do they continue once he has left?

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wychbold · 05/12/2006 09:32

did not have a choir...is this common?

Depends on your definition of 'choir'

DD's school has a choir with an open access policy: anyone can join, so anyone does. It has got to the stage where it is just the and naive Year7. Anybody who can sing wouldn't be seen within miles of such an embarrassing spectacle. I have heard seven year olds sing a million times better than our Secondary School 'choir'.

Let's have a big cheer for 'inclusiveness'.

WonderCod · 05/12/2006 09:32

none at ours

or at the hige SEC SHCOOL I WORKED AT

julienetmum · 05/12/2006 09:33

Sorry, I was a bit vague. So far he hasn't left, he works for the music service as a peri and also does curriculum support so they buy in his services as a long term thing alongside their instrumental tuition.

Original poster

6beetrootsAmilking · 05/12/2006 09:37

yes that is a difficult one - inclusiveness! Hmmm

Juliet, does he help to train teachers within the school to take over?

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frogs · 05/12/2006 10:13

Dc's primary school (roughish inner-city church school) had an excellent choir -- really fantastic. They used to sing complicated 3-part arrangements at school liturgies, and do wonderful concerts. They also had a percussion group where selected children were taught to play amazing pieces on the glockenspiel and xylophone. Then the music teacher left, and the new one is on a mission to be inclusive. Cue lots of half-cooked pop-lite arrangements, incompetently performed, and no more ethereal singing during Mass.

Dd1 secondary school has a junior choir which is open-access (though I think they do some gentle weeding before actual performances) and a senior choir which is by invitation only. Seems like a reasonable compromise between widening participation and achieving high standards.

mitbap · 05/12/2006 10:13

My DDs school has recently started a choir - coached by a profressional singer. Places were filled on a first come first served basis as far as I know. Don't know what made them decide to start. My dds love it and I think it sounds OK. It's a pity most state schools don't bother. I remember singing with massed primary school choirs at Newcastle City Hall aeons ago and it being a fantastic experience.

tortoiseshell · 05/12/2006 10:14

Ds1's primary school has a fantastic choir - it is open to all, but they get really good results - they do an overseas tour every year, along with the school orchestra. It is down to a fantastic music teacher and support from the head imo.

Original poster

6beetrootsAmilking · 05/12/2006 10:18

TS - who funds their tour?

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tortoiseshell · 05/12/2006 10:25

They do fundraising for a term or so beforehand - lots of cake sales, sponsored events etc. I THINK they may get some sort of a grant as well, but the Parents Association seems to put in a huge amount of work, along with the children. I've not been involved at all (yet) because as yet ds1 is only yr1, but I hope he'll join later.

Original poster

6beetrootsAmilking · 05/12/2006 10:26

Our choir tour - but it cost thousands.

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tortoiseshell · 05/12/2006 10:29

Just had a look, their orchestra tour cost 6k, and they raised that through fundraising, and they certainly tried to get some local businesses to sponsor it - I'm guessing at least some of the money came from that!

Original poster

6beetrootsAmilking · 05/12/2006 10:32

brillianat that they manage to raise that they manago to raise that sort of money. We have to pay the male choir - 10 vicars choral so you can imagine it gets very expensive

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tortoiseshell · 05/12/2006 10:34

Of course - and from my own experience of cath. tours, there are lots of extraneous people as well - wardrobe mistress, organ scholars etc! BTW, did you know that MA is moving from St Pauls?

chocolaterobin · 05/12/2006 10:34

My dds primary school have a "choir club" run at lunchtime by a teacher. They perform in assembly and do a yearly thing for the parents of those in the choir. It is open to all and is hugely popular with the girls, no boys in it though.

Original poster

6beetrootsAmilking · 05/12/2006 10:35

NO! where is he going

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tortoiseshell · 05/12/2006 10:35

Winchester College to be head of chapel music.

Original poster

6beetrootsAmilking · 05/12/2006 10:36

we dont have wardrobe mistress's but yes organ scholars etc..I help organise so am a chaperone which I love

I think that choirs should learn to read music as well

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