School Life Today
Students attend the Choir School full-time, completing a rigorous academic program in addition to daily rehearsals and singing at liturgy up to five times each week, including daily Choral Mass at 12.10, and Choral Vespers on Wednesday evenings at 5.15. Each student's tuition is supplemented by a "working scholarship", whereby the choristers are expected to sing at weddings, funerals and concerts throughout the school year. The busiest times of the year for the choir are at Christmas and Easter. All students at the Choir School study mathematics, science, computers, literature, language arts, social studies, religion, geography, French, and Latin.
In addition to these academic subjects, students take lessons in music theory and piano, and some play in recorder ensembles and handbell groups. In music theory, students are taught how to read music through a careful study of the language of written music, using the popular ABRSM theory course. All students take piano lessons in school taught by several piano teachers during the school day. Opportunities to perform include regular informal concerts, as well as biannual adjudications. If a student chooses, he may take private lessons in another instrument of his choosing.
There are no school sports teams, but students have physical education once a week and nearly every student participates in sports outside of school. Periodic travel for the choir is a tradition at the Choir School. Over the years, the boys have visited Chicago, Montreal, Washington, DC, and Rome in order to sing to new audiences and congregations around the world. In 2005, the choir sang in Rome for Masses at St. Peter's Basilica and at the Church of Santa Susanna. The choir has sung at Mass on multiple occasions at the Basilica of the National Shrine in Washington, DC, most recently in 2011. Parents are actively involved in the life of the Choir School; nearly all of the families are represented at each month's Parent Guild meeting, to help support the Choir School through hospitality and fund-raising efforts.
Read more about this topic: Boston Archdiocesan Choir School
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