Guidelines for teachers and choir conductors
The next round of auditions will take place in November and December 2009.
Young singers should be aged between 11 and 18 (9 for Trebles) to apply for membership which lasts to the age of 22.
There is great competition for places in the Choir and you should consider the following points seriously and objectively to avoid falsely raising the hopes of the singer.
1. Does the applicant have a naturally free and expressive voice, or the potential for development in that direction?
2. Can s/he sing in tune without undue strain?
3. Can s/he sight-read a simple melody with some understanding of scales; 3rds, 4ths, and 5ths; simple rhythms
4. Can s/he support an even sound through the pitch range?
5. Can s/he sustain a high, quiet sound on the breath?
For a soprano, if the answer is YES to at least four of the above, she will be in line for serious consideration; at present we take in 1 in 6 soprano applicants.
Alto, tenor and bass voices are likely to be relatively undeveloped at audition age, so a YES answer to two or three of the above implies that the candidate is worthy of audition.
It is expected that candidates for the Training Choir and Main Choir will have high standards of sight-reading and musicianship; for younger candidates the expectation will be proportionately lower.
For trebles who are undergoing voice change, apply as normal and they will be considered for the most appropriate choir for their voice.
The Changing Adolescent Voice - boys
Most boys now begin voice change at 12 – 13 yrs of age, it reaches its most active phase between 13 and 14 years and then settles between 15 and 18 years.
In order to be able to deal with this situation in an effective and enlightened way, it is important to understand the nature of the changing voice and to have a policy influenced by the most recent and comprehensive voice education research.
To read the rest of this article by Jenevora Williams please download the PDF file below. (You will require the free Adobe Reader software to view and print this file.)