Cheam is a singing School!
All pupils are encouraged to discover a voice and enjoy singing, whether as a school congregation, a class activity, on stage or part of a Choir. Singing is such a special gift and a valuable means of communication and expression. These aspects are promoted and enthused in our work. We have built up this choral tradition over many years and it has become central to the life of the School, led from the top and encouraged by the Music Department. Singing is a communal activity integral to our worship that transcends the boundaries of pupils, staff and gender.
We organise a series of Choirs throughout the School to develop our singing and focus the children towards performance. There are seven main choirs:
- Year 3 Choir
- Year 4 Girls' Choir
- Tavener Choir
- Holst Choir
- Tallis Choir
- Elgar Choir
- Schola
Year 3 Choir
This encompasses all the children in Year 3 and encourages them to begin to discover a voice, as their vocal muscles and aural awareness develop. We build on ideas established in the Pre-Prep that singing is fun and a team activity, requiring concentration, co-operation and focus. The children learn songs in curriculum time and then the two Year 3 Classes come together to perform as the Year 3 Choir.
They prepare material for the Junior Carol Service and for the Year 3 Drama and Music Showcase. Singing is integral to the Junior Music Course and the Year 3 Choir extends this work and introduces new material in a different context.
Year 4 Girls' Choir
This Choir is available to all girls in Year 4 who enjoy singing. We cover a fun spectrum of repertoire and prepare pieces for services and concerts. The Year 4 Girls' Choir normally rehearses during Friday teatime.
Tavener Choir
This Choir is open to boys in Years 4-6. There are no formal auditions and boys are encouraged to join when they show an interest in singing during class work. The Choir meets during Digest on a Tuesday. The boys start to focus more specifically on voice production, sight reading, and rehearsal and performance skills.
They sing in a range of concerts, help to lead the Junior Carol Service and take centre stage once a term in a Saturday Service. There are plenty of performance opportunities, whenever the Choir has a choral item prepared. The boys also enjoy supporting our music theatre work.
Holst Choir
This Choir is open to girls in Years 5-6 with the same criteria as the Tavener Choir. It maintains very much an equal status and a shared philosophy. The two choirs have their own autonomy, but also come together on many occasions to perform. The Holst Choir normally rehearses during Digest on a Tuesday.
Tallis and Elgar Choirs
These two Senior Choirs form our robed Chapel Choir. Once again they are considered separately, but rehearse and often perform together.
We are blessed with many talented children who aspire to be included in these Choirs and we do audition for places. This keeps the numbers to a suitable level to promote a greater sense of individual worth and enables a higher standard of ensemble.
The Choristers lead the carols in the Senior Carol Service and sing at various concerts throughout the year, both at Cheam and in the local community. The Chapel Choir is supported by some very enthusiastic adults (Staff and Parents) who join us to sing the lower parts (alto, tenor and bass). This opens up a wealth of music and the Choir now performs music from a typical Cathedral repertoire.
We sing an anthem every Saturday. This creates pressure on our rehearsal time, focusing all our minds. The children rise to this challenge. With new pieces being introduced all the time, we are building up an extensive choir library. We have a particularly talented group of choristers at present and we are focused on nurturing and developing their interests over the next 12 months.
Our expectations are higher in these Choirs and we focus heavily on the importance of sight-reading and performing with real expression. We constantly reinforce the connection between sound and symbol. It is important that these children perform a very balanced programme of music and we encourage a wide spectrum of repertoire both sacred and secular.
The Choir members are appreciated for their contribution to the musical life of the School and rewarded accordingly. They receive regular credits and have a special celebration dinner at Christmas and a wonderful Choir Outing to Thorpe Park in the summer.