The Choir: Boys don't sing (?)

On BBC 2 tonight, choirmaster Gareth Malone returned with a follow up series to 'The Choir.' Basing himself at a boy's school in Leicester, Gareth goes about building a boy's choir from scratch: 'The Choir: Boys Don't Sing'

Readers may be interested to know that here in the Diocese of Leeds we have two similar stories unfolding as we speak!

St Bedes Catholic School in Bradford (an all boys secondary school) began a boy's choir in September with the aim of competing in a choir competition in the Royal Albert Hall in April of this year. Now 5 months into their preparations, the St Bedes Male Voice Choir is starting to take shape. The Boys will be performing at concerts at Liverpool Hope University and Bradford University in the run up to their big performance in London on April 16th. The boys work very hard in rehearsal each week and are singing a wide range of music from renaissance polyphony to upbeat Spanish dance music!

Read about St Bedes MVC here - also you can read an article in the local paper, and even hear the boys singing and watch an interview with the headteacher.

All Saints Catholic College in Huddersfield (Mixed Secondary School) will also be performing in the competition at the Royal Albert Hall in London in April. The mixed voice choir, age ranged 11-16 have been working on songs in English, Latin and Macedonian - who said it was all just about music: they learn about different cultures and languages as well!

Read about All Saints here, plus click here for an article in the Huddersfield Examiner.

Both St. Bedes and All Saints recently appeared on the BBC themselves: BBC Songs of Praise! The choir are run by staff from the Diocese of Leeds music department as part of the school singing program: the largest such catholic program in the UK!