National Boys ChoirThe ChoirsNBC sings in up to three parts and is made up of unchanged voices. The flagship group within NBC, this choir undertakes additional concerts and touring where appropriate. In 2004 the choir was invited to take part in a performance of Britten’s War Requiem at the Edinburgh International Festival and BBC’s Proms in the Park in Glasgow. In 2006 the Choir toured to Northern Ireland and in 2007 to Kendal and Dumfries. Membership depends on experience and not just age, and so a younger boy with lots of experience may gain membership of NBC over an older boy with less experience. The course is divided into full rehearsals, sectional rehearsals and musicianship games sessions. NBC is directed by Christopher Bell Junior Corps provides for the youngest boys, allowing them to gain choral experience singing less advanced repertoire than NBC. Junior Corps is directed by Shona Morgan and undertakes the same variety of full rehearsals, sectional rehearsals and musicianship games sessions. Changed Voice Section NBC is helping to encourage young boys to continue to sing through the stages of their changing voice by having a choir made up of young baritones. The changing process can occur fairly quickly, and there have been instances where a boy auditions at the beginning of the year and gains a place in NBC only to find by the time of the course his voices has changed. Once a boy's voice changes he simply moves to the CV section. Changed Voice section is conducted by Christopher Bell and prepared and coached by Christopher Breckenridge. Archive Photos Click here to see photos of previous choirs. Singing Days An exciting new development for 2008 is the addition of singing days for boys aged 9 and for boys aged 10 and 11 who may need some more singing experience before being ready to attend the residential course. Boys will be offered the chance to attend three singing days held on Saturdays during the spring and summer terms. These will be led by experienced NYCoS staff in various locations, each day will include a mixture of playing musicianship games and learning songs. The final day in each location will finish with a short presentation where family and friends will be able to hear what the boys have learned. 2008 Dates3rd - 8th April 2008 - Residential course at Merchiston School, Edinburgh
Audition DatesAuditions will be held in Glasgow and Edinburgh (also Aberdeen, Dundee, Dumfries and Inverness depending on numbers applying from those areas) on 16th - 18th and 23rd - 26th January 2008. Audition by video link may be available for those who live on islands. Please contact the NYCoS Office for further details.
StaffNBC and Changed Voice Section will be directed by Christopher Bell Changed Voice section will be coached by Christopher Breckenridge The Junior Corps will be directed by Shona Morgan
Fees and FundingMembership of NBC Junior Corps 2008 will cost £230, which includes full board accommodation at Merchiston School, provision of music and transport to end of course concert. Membership of NBC and the Changed Voice Section will cost £320 which includes the extra activities undertaken by those choirs. Is there any financial assistance available? Yes. A number of local authorities, schools, colleges, educational trusts and firms have assisted members in the past. You should apply either through your school or Head of Education Service, etc. See NBC Funding.
Members SectionOnce you have been offered a place and have accepted it, you will be given a password for the NBC members page where you will be able to leave messages and chat to other members.
FAQHow
often does the choir meet?
All
three sections of the choir meet for a 6 day residential course around
Easter time. Occasionally NBC will be invited to take part in other
engagements e.g. BBC Proms in the Park, Edinburgh International Festival, Tour to Ireland.
I live in/near Edinburgh. Can I go home at night instead of staying at Merchiston? Being in a choir is the same as being a member of a team. Everyone does things together and learns to work together so it is important that all the members stay overnight at the school. Do
I have to stay for the whole course?
Once
again the team spirit is important here. If a member is missing it
affects the performance of the team. Also there is a lot of music to
learn so if you missed part of the course you would not be as well
prepared for the concert as everyone else.
What
if no-one else from my school is going to the course?
We
know it isn’t easy to go away to a strange place where you don’t know
everyone else. Our house staff understand this and very good at making
everyone feel welcome and helping them to get to know other boys. One of
the great things about NBC is the number of new friends you will meet.
What
if I feel homesick?
This
can happen but there is so much to do and everyone is so friendly that
you won’t feel homesick for long.
What
if my parents can’t afford the course fee?
Don’t
be put off. Apply anyway and once you are offered a place your parents
will be sent details of where they can apply for financial help.
Can
I apply online?
Sorry
but no. The online application form is for NYCoS and NYCoS Training
choir only. The form for NBC has to be signed by your parent or
guardian. You can download a copy of the form from this site and fill it
in or you can contact the NYCoS Office and ask for one to be sent.
(see How to Apply)
What’s
the food like?
Fantastic! What
do we do when we’re not singing?
Several
of our house staff are PE teachers who organise lots of different games.
There’s also a swimming pool, TV room with videos and a quiet room for
reading.
Do
I have to wear my school uniform?
For concerts your will be asked to buy a special shirt which is supplied by NYCoS so that everyone looks the same. The rest of the time you can wear what you like.
How to ApplyThe application form must be signed by a parent so it is not possible for you to apply online However, you can download a brochure and an application form. To do this you will need Acrobat Reader. If you do not have that on your computer then click here and download a free copy.
Click here to download the brochure and here to download the application form or contact the NYCoS office by telephone or by using the email button below if you wish an application form to be posted to you. (Please note that the brochure is over 0.6Mb in size and will take a considerable time to download unless you have a broadband connection)
AuditionsOnce the closing date for applications has passed, you will be sent a letter telling you where and when your audition will take place. The auditions will be conducted by Christopher Bell who will ask you to sing the song you have prepared in advance. He will also do some simple singing exercises to find out which section of the choir would be best for you. If you are unsure what to sing you could ask your school music teacher for some advice. We know people can sometimes feel nervous so we do our best to make sure the auditions are fun.
ConcertsAll members will take part in a concert on the final day of the residential course. The venue for 2008 will be St Mary's Cathedral, Palmerston Place, Edinburgh.
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