Encouraging boys to sing

[jean]

All at Truro have been thrilled by the contribution made by our 13-17 y.o. girls during their first full year of singing as a separate choir of girl choristers.

As were visitors from elsewhere!

[DracoM]

Delighted for the girls.
Will their success and manifest longevity in cathedral choirs dilute the desire / obviate the need for lads to be front-lined as well?

Just a thought.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Let's look at it from a different angle. Peer approval is indeed strong, but it isn't everything. What about role models? It's often difficult get enough grown men to sing in choirs, so that's hardly encouraging for their younger potential replacements. Getting women to sing in choirs isn't much of a problem. Quite apart from the fact that they don't so often face social stigmas, the women have a huge advantage in that they are much more likely to be asked to sing "the tune". It's true that boy trebles also normally sing the melody line, but their tenor and bass role models do not - hardly an incentive for those below the elite level.

One place where boys and men do sing their hearts out is at football matches - surprisingly well in tune and extending into the upper tenor register.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Chesterfield Parish Church Choir at Westminster Abbey, July 1985, with a young Alpensinfonietta, front row, 3rd from right. Plenty of boys here, but no choir school, just a Musical Director with flare and vision.