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Girl Choristers The Girls’ Choir at St. Thomas-on-The Bourne was founded in 2004 to run in parallel with the Boys, to give girls the same opportunities as boys and enable them to take part in the worship at St. Thomas. The Girl Choristers sing both on their own and with the Choir Gentlemen. St. Thomas-on-The Bourne is the only parish church in the Diocese of Guildford to maintain a choir specifically for girls. Recruitment We are always pleased to hear from potential new members. The Director of Music visits local schools during September and October to lead assemblies and singing workshops to encourage recruitment of new choristers, but we welcome enquries and new members at any time. Why should my daughter join? ● She will receive a free musical training from professionally trained musicians that is second to none, based on a regular cycle of rehearsals and services. She will be taught to read music, to sing well and will be encouraged to foster a love of music that lasts a lifetime. ● There are many educational benefits which can enhance overall academic achievement, including: advancements in reading age; improved presentation and performance skills; increased concentration levels; the ability to work together in a team and take pride in a common endeavour; improved social and communication skills; commitment and reliability; self-control and self-discipline (because music done well requires discipline); motivation; sensitivity and understanding of great texts and great music; an introduction to an international musical and cultural heritage. Self confidence is built, each girl is valued as an individual and her own ability is nurtured. ● She will be paid some pocket money for attendance at rehearsals and services at the end of each term (Michaelmas, Lent and Trinity) according to seniority from Probationer to Head Chorister. Far from just being another perk that the girls enjoy, it helps them take responsibility for their own attendance, encourages them to be punctual, reliable and organised (useful life skills for the future) and means that they are appropriately rewarded for their endeavours. ● In addition to singing at the major festivals of the Church, she will get to sing at weddings and unique performances in concerts and other venues. ● She will be invited to attend the annual choir tour. The choir tours are both within in the UK and overseas. Overseas tours have included Salzburg, Northern France, the USA and Bermuda. ● The choir has made three professional recordings, has broadcast on the radio and appeared on stage. ● She will have the opportunity to take part in choir activities and outings, such as the chorister fireworks party, ice skating and trips to the cinema. ● Choristers and their families build lasting local friendships through their membership. What does being a chorister at St. Thomas involve? Commitment, enthusiasm and a willingness to learn! Being in the choir at St. Thomas-on-The Bourne is hard work, but is also very beneficial and a lot of fun. We pride ourselves on our tradition of musical excellence and work hard to maintain this through regular rehearsals. The girls rehearse after school on a Tuesday evening between 5pm and 6pm and on Friday evenings between 5pm and 6.15pm. The girls sing only one Sunday Service each week (either at 10am or 6.30pm) and have a Sunday off each month as well as the Sundays off after Christmas and Easter. No rehearsals or sung services occur in August. Experience suggests that girls take this routine in their stride and benefit and enjoy the pattern it creates in their lives. We have had very few conflicts with homework and other such potential problems. Our Child Protection Policy is taken very seriously. For example, all the Gentlemen of the Choir and those in positions of responsibility involving the choristers at St. Thomas are CRB checked and a choir parent or some other suitable adult is present at rehearsals. A full description of policy can be provided on request. Training The Choir of St. Thomas-on-The Bourne offers its choristers a solid and practical musical training; singing in a church choir is considered to be one of the finest musical educations. Choristers at St. Thomas-on-The Bourne follow a graded training programme and are regularly prepared and entered for the Royal School of Church Music chorister exams. Our chorister training encourages all to achieve their potential and enjoy their time with the choir. Is there any reward? Yes. In addition to the free musical education, the girls are paid according to seniority. They receive their earnings at the end of each term. There is also an opportunity to earn extra fees from weddings. Will it cost anything? No. There is no subscription for being in the choir. The girls wear cassocks (blue) and surplices (white) which are provided by the church. We usually ask parents to wash the surplices once a term. Can my daughter join the choir if I don’t attend St. Thomas’? Yes, anyone is eligible: Membership of the choir at St Thomas is not restricted to children of church members. What do the parents do? The choir of St. Thomas couldn’t function without the support of the parents. Parents are involved in all sorts of ways, from lift-shares to chaperoning on tours. Many of the Choir Gentlemen are past or present parents of choristers. How many choristers are there and what ages are they? Places are limited to 22 girl choristers at any one time. Girls usually enter the choir around Year 5 (age 8/9). Girls can stay in the choir until they are 18. Who’s in charge? St. Thomas-on-The Bourne appoints a professionally trained musician to train and recruit the choir. Philip Viveash joined us as Director of Music in September 2008. Philip is a music graduate of New College, Oxford University, where he was a choral scholar, trained on the Baylis Programme at English National Opera and completed his studies at the Royal College of Music. He founded and conducts prize-winning children’s choirs and has much experience in choral conducting and choir training. Julian Cooper became our Assistant Director of Music and Organist in 2007 and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists. Julian has given recitals in churches and cathedrals all over the UK and overseas. I am interested. What is the next step? Please contact the Director of Music, Philip Viveash, for any further information: Tel: 07785 574259 Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it If you wish to see the choir in operation, you are very welcome to join us at any of our practices where you will have the opportunity to speak to other choir parents. What happens then? We will invite your daughter to attend a practice to get a feel for the choir. At the end of the practice there is a short, straight-forward, audition for which she doesn’t need to prepare anything (she will be asked to sing back some notes and clap a rhythm back). Subsequently she is invited to become a member of the choir as a probationer. After a short time developing her vocal skills, she is made a full chorister at a short ceremony during a service when she receives her surplice. |