Becoming a Chorister Parent

In September my son, Hugo, aged 7, joined Lincoln Cathedral Choir as a probationer. Our family life changed dramatically but looking back, two years on, what an exciting experience it has been for us all as a family.

On Hugo’s first day we as parents were the ones worrying about how he would cope; would he manage to read the music and words quickly enough, especially when the piece isn’t sung in English; could he really sit still during long services; would being a chorister live up to all of his expectations; how would he remember when to sit and when to stand, when to walk and when not to talk!? On our second day Hugo had his first service. A number of other chorister parents made a point of coming to speak to me, several of them having introduced themselves on our first morning. They tactfully ensured I sat in a seat where I would be able to see Hugo, made sure I knew where the Order of Service was, and to my amazement turned out to be mind readers, giving lots of reassurance that Hugo would be just fine!

We haven’t regretted a moment. Very quickly Hugo was singing in services large and small and he took all of them in his stride. Our first Christmas spent at the Cathedral will always be a cherished memory. The Christmas Eve Carol Service saw the Cathedral packed out; as the procession walked up the Nave I saw my little boy, totally un-phased by the hundreds of people in the congregation. The service was wonderful but no more so than afterwards when he said so proudly to Simon and I “that was brilliant and I had the best seat in the house”. He went on to describe to us how it felt looking down the Nave from the choir, across a sea of faces, whilst singing beautiful music. The experience had clearly made an indelible impression on a little boy and we knew that his becoming a chorister was absolutely the right thing. 

There is no doubt that being a chorister is hard work and has an impact on all of the family. Getting up very early when you still feel tired from the night before; keeping up with all of your prep when you just want to relax after Evensong; missing friends’ parties because you have a rehearsal or service to attend; very few free weekends to make plans to do other things are just a few of the complaints we sometimes hear from Hugo. However, I have no doubt in my mind that the negatives are far outweighed by the positives. Hugo has developed an independence, which belies his age. His confidence, I am sure, has been greatly enhanced by the experiences he has shared with the choir including not only the many services and concerts he has sung in but also the radio broadcast, the tour to Holland and more recently the recording of a new choir CD. The education he has received spans more then we ever imagined thanks to the skilled leadership of Charles Harrison and Aric Prentice. It is always amusing to hear Hugo sharing snippets of information about composers, phrases of music, and the Cathedral itself. If the facts begin with “Mr Harrison said….” then we know it is absolutely true. Thanks to Mr Harrison we too have broadened our knowledge.  

When Hugo was admitted as a Burghersh Chanter in September 2007 we were immensely proud. It became clear to us that the children take enormous pride in belonging to the Cathedral and realise that they are a significant part of the history making of such a magnificent establishment. That sense of belonging and pride has to be a good thing for our young people. They certainly seem to value it and each other. We have been awe-inspired by the encouragement the children give one another. When Hugo sang his first couple of solo lines recently the other boys praised him as if he had just given a world premiere performance to millions. How great is that?

If I have any top tips for new chorister parents they are as follows:

1. Invest in a good winter coat and don’t be afraid to wear it in summer – it gets very cold in the Cathedral although your child will apparently never feel it.

2. Use the choir stalls as a way of measuring your child’s growth. We started by only being able to see the top of Hugo’s head and his eyes. He must have grown as we can now see his whole face.

3. Remember that it is customary for choristers to be sick on their cassocks at least once so don’t be embarrassed when it happens to your child.

4. Early on get the telephone number of an established chorister family; they are invaluable when you can’t remember where to meet, or your child appears to be telling you a different meeting time to everyone else.

5. See Evensong as having the added benefit of being a form of free therapy – there is nothing better than 45 minutes of peace, tranquility and wonderful music when you’ve had a stressful day.

6. Carry your Chorister Diary at all times – you will now live your life by it so don’t fight it.

Sheridan Dodsworth

Life as a new Lincoln Cathedral Choir Probationer (and Parents!)

We can’t believe how quickly the first half of the Michaelmas Term has gone – which is usually a good sign!

We’ve all got into the new routine quite easily – early to bed and early to rise (and that’s Lucas and his parents!) and for some reason we do seem to be getting up a bit later on Saturdays and every other Sunday, if we’ve nothing planned.

It took us a while to get to know the main parts of the Cathedral, but purchase of a guide book from the Cathedral shop has really helped, and has been very informative. If we’d been asked a few weeks ago what we thought of The Dean’s Eye, we’d probably have said ‘‘which one, his left or right!’’

Our overriding feelings (apart from tiredness) are pride and amazement. We feel proud to be part of the ‘Cathedral family’ and to be able to spend more time in this amazing and beautiful building, than we would otherwise have done, if Lucas hadn’t become a Probationer (or ‘Prob’ to those in the know!).

Key points which may be helpful to other new Probationers and their parents / guardians can be summed up as follows:

A big plus is the Choristers tea before Evensong, and the biscuits on a Sunday;

Despite having to be at the Cathedral for 0755, it does mean that working parents who usually start at around 0900 have an hour to themselves to do as they wish, which could even include the healthy option of joining a local Gym;

Travelling in to Lincoln at this time in a morning isn’t so bad because the roads are a lot quieter;

Remember to arrive 10 minutes before rehearsal is due to start (including at the West Entrance on Sundays – which we forgot the first time!);

The time between dropping your child off on a Sunday morning at 0845 (actually 0835!) and collecting them at around 1215 could be used for some well needed quality ‘parent time’ to do things together, which could range from a relaxing breakfast reading the Sunday papers in the Wig and Mitre, to a long walk around Whisby Nature Park;

Expect your child to regularly forget to bring homework home, as well as duffle coats, games bags etc, but to always remember that they need 50 pence for crisps or something else from the shop!

If collecting your child from Evensong, the Judgement Porch isn’t always unlocked before 1815, but the West Entrance is always locked at 1800. You can still get in, however, via the South-side Entrance which is unlocked just as soon as the person who locked the West Entrance gets there!

Anthony, Helen & Lucas Brown

Another parent's experience...

In September our son George, aged 8, joined Lincoln Cathedral Choir as a probationer. Those first few weeks have been mixed with excitement and worry (the excitement George's and the worry ourselves).   How tired would he be; would he be able to keep up with his prep and continue with his sport activities; would he manage the early morning rehearsals; could he sit through the services and would he know when to sit, stand and walk?    

We had no need to worry. The choristers' schedule of evensong on alternate days for boys and girls and Wednesday choir day off has enabled him to keep up with his prep and continue with his sport activities.  He is always ready first in the morning and waiting for us!      He has taken it all in his stride.  This is largely due to how well he is being looked after by his Choirmaster Mr. Harrison and the senior chorister designated to look after him, together with the other boys in the choir who have all made him feel very welcome.    

As a family we are enjoying the Services and the other choir parents have been very helpful. 

Those first few weeks have passed quickly and we have no doubt, that together with his joy of singing and the privilege of being part of the Cathedral, George is enjoying being in the choir immensely.  

Sarah Faulkner