King's College Choir auditions

[BoffinMum]

We're putting DS2 in for the King's College Choir auditions next week - it's a bit of a spontaneous thing after he saw them on telly over Christmas and was impressed.

Although he's very keen on music, he must be the most unprepared boy for this on the planet, so I was wondering if anyone knew anything about the audition/assessment process and if there's anything we should bear in mind.

How did he get on? Any luck? Cleobury is quite fierce, but the boys/big boys seem to respect him.

He did rubbish. I am not entirely convinced by the process, but don't feel I can say a thing, for fear of it sounding like sour grapes. Don't tell!

Also the poor lad cried himself to sleep the night he found out he hadn't got in, and he just keeps banging on about it and wanting another go. I mean, what do you do??

Oh no! Poor wee thing. Can he try again next year?

No, he will be 8 then and I think that's too old.
I wish I had groomed him more, despite what they told me about wanting raw talent. I feel horribly guilty. If I hadn't been pg and ill I would have done so much more with him ...

Both irritating and distressing for you - I'm sorry.

Yes, I wonder if they were a little disingenuous with you - "raw talent" ... - when there are a lot of people taking it too very seriously.

Don't blame yourself.

I'm sure he'll get over it and probably feel relieved at not having to wear the top hat!

What about the other choirs?

It was a bit. We feel like council estate kids who have failed the 11* at the moment. I know that's silly.

All the other kids had been to prep school already, and were very primed for the audition, etc. One mum even had IQ test books spilling out her handbag.

Of course there are other choirs, but it won't be the same, because he is determined to go there.

Anyway the likelihood is, that despite being v musical in a raw sort of way, poor DS is now doomed to his dull and indifferent state primary school for the duration (where the music is actually pretty crap), and a dull and indifferent state comprehensive school thereafter.

I feel almost cruel having given him a glimpse of how the other half live, and then watching it being snatched away from under his nose. He talks about his visit up there all the time, it has been the high spot of his academic life thus far.

Oh, BoffinMum and BM's DS .

Sorry I didn't respond last night: dropped off.

It does sound so unfair and upsetting. I'm sorry too that I didn't see your thread until the time I posted first - I could have warned you about the competitive other parents. It is notoriously something of a musical hothouse, and the boys, while generally happy, are put under a lot of pressure, IMO.

If he is musical, isn't there the possibility that, with a little coaching, he could apply for a scholarship to a musical school when he's 11?

I really feel for the little chap.

It is very decent of you to chat this through with me, Penthesileia. I do appreciate it. It is on my mind a lot at the moment and very helpful to have a bit of an outlet for these thoughts.

Tbh I could coach him myself, it's a case of getting the energy together. I used to be a singing and piano teacher before I became an academic. But I've got a nasty pg complication and a new baby (no 4) on the way, so it's always hard to juggle these things. I am trying to work out another way of doing it at the moment. I haven't got a huge problem with a bit of hot housing if kids are keen, because I am musically trained myself and it did me more good than harm IMO. I am sure it would unlock doors for DS (and he does love doing it so much).

A music scholarship would not help us a lot, because they are now only for a few hundred pounds a year, and we can only afford a total maximum of £6k per year towards fees if we trim absolutely everything in the household budget to extreme levels. He would need to board because of transport and other family issues at our end, so we are £12k short. Our incomes are relatively high, but with a big family and (unbelievably huge pre credit-crunch) mortgage, so are our overheads, so I doubt we would get a look in with regard to any bursaries.

I think the irony here is that I am now an educational sociologist, and I spend my time lecturing about social class structures and the negative impact they have on education. I thought I was wise to all the little tricks and techniques educational institutions use to perpetuate privilege whilst pretending not to do so, and yet I got caught out badly here. I really rather blundered into this very naively and was shocked at how nakedly aggressive the competition was. As an educationalist, it feels like selling out, engaging in all that. And moreover, so many of the mums looked truly stressed and unhappy about it all. It is quite a quandary.

I wish I could write a cheque for his school fees and pack him off to Kings for a good all round musical education, which I think he would accept as an alternative, but I just can't see a way ...

Anything, thanks for listening, as they say.

Not at all - as I said, I really feel for you both. Particulary if a child is musical, it's difficult, I think, for parents to find ways to really nurture that talent without somehow feeling that a musical school/choral scholarship is the best way forward.

I know you've already said that he'd set his heart on King's, and he probably can't face another trial, but there is St. John's, of course.

Do any of the Oxford colleges have linked schools/choirs?

I agree that it's deeply frustrating and not a little sad in this day and age that the 'raw talent' idea isn't really true.

Yes, I've seen the mums (it is usually mums): in turns stressed out and unhappy, and then deeply competitive. (Of course, the hullaballoo leading up to who might be picked for the solo of Once in Royal David's City at Christmas is legendary). It's inevitable in such an "elite" group, I suppose. But as I said, I see the wee boys and hope they're ok!

I'm sorry too that you're having a tough time with your pregnancy. Number 4! Wow!

Penth, I do agree, the boys looked very happy and were doing well.

Can I ask whether you're a King's mum? You seem to know a lot about all this.

Not a King's mum (might be one day...), but know King's mums...

And in my not so distant yoof, I knew some lads from the big boys' choir, so I heard a lot of the gossip about it all.

Talking of which, I should probably get my DC down on the list already.

Aha!
Are the other King's mums relatively normal then??

Have you considered St John's? I think the choir is excellent - and does similar foreign tours etc to Kings and the school is very well thought of.
I remember reading the Choir Schools Association information years ago - it seemed to me that, for the higher profile schools at least, pretty high levels of attainment were expected of 7-8 year olds.

Very nice & normal (the ones I know, at least ). It seems to be a friendly, good school.

I did phone up St John's, Lily, but found it impossible to get to look around. The secretary was very offhand, and then begrudgingly offered to arrange for a pupil to show us around.

Now I had a couple of problems with this - firstly what are pupils doing out of class, and secondly how on earth can we ask pertitent school policy questions of a kid?

But maybe I could have another go and push a bit harder ...

I am sure there is another Cambridge collage that has a boys choir without a school (or do you wish for the reduced fees?)...I think it might be queens?

The other college choir which has children is Jesus but it doesn't have a school attached.

We did want the reduced fees very much, but I have to say the Jesus thing sounds very interesting indeed, because I do believe a very structured musical education is highly beneficial. I might well look into that for him and maybe even his brother. I am not sure how we would get them there, but where there is a will, I daresay there is a way.

Have you thought about Ely Cathedral choir? Scholarships at the King's School and all that.

Also for anyone reading with a girl, St Catherines College Cambridge has just started a girl's choir that operates on a similar sort of basis to Jesus.

ohh bumps..that is very interesting as i have girls.

and yes it was jesus i was thinking of

The St Catherine's thing sounds really positive and long overdue IMO.

Might well look at King's Ely - always liked the look of that place and obviously it goes past 13 as well.

DS2 is still keen and has restarted piano lessons now as well - I think he's serious!

I wonder who you are, Penthesilea? I also knew some of the big boys in the choir in my youth - but that was mid 1980s. Also know a couple of King's parents including one in the choir. Boffinmum - have you thought of St Paul's choir school in London? I have 2 friends with children there

Hi, a latecomer to this thread but if your ds is really keen on the musical side but not too bothered about being at a choir school specifically, then do give Jesus a go - I sang there as a student and it was great, the treble boys loved it and got to do loads of tours/concerts etc, but live at home and go to a 'normal' school too. No, it doesn't have the cachet of the 'big two' but if it's the structured musical learning he's after, they certainly get lots of practice and lots of good opportunities. One of the lads there (son of a mate) was runner up in choirboy of the year a while back - and looking at the info, two others jesus boys were semi-finalists in the same year.