Being a youth chorister

Getting an insight into what it’s like being a youth chorister is difficult. That’s why I so enjoyed seeing this 10-minute piece by the New College Choir in Oxford. It incorporates so many insightful interviews with the boys that one gets a wonderful impression of how a choir school functions. The boys sing multiple times every day (minus Wednesdays), take theory lessons, voice lessons, and probably play an instrument as well, all while attending a traditional boarding school.

Obviously, this is an intense lifestyle, but many elements hold true to our experience in the Saint Nicholas Choir: the nature of rehearsals vs. services, the importance of relationships among choristers, and a sense of serving a larger liturgical purpose. I also find it fascinating that these choristers see this situation as the first steps in “their own journey.” I hope you enjoy this view of chorister life — a thing we miss in our current situation.

Justin Appel, Director of Music

Watch here: