The father of the first Head Chorister Tom knew made a very valid point during his speech at the end of term BBQ. He spoke of how understanding we all must be of the boys' siblings and especially what the younger borthers and sisters have to put up with, their older playmates taken away and how they're dragged up to the Cathedral far too frequently to hear their brothers sing.
We see this every year, especially as the boys are made up, so many four and five year olds at the service. If only they knew this was just the beginning.
Of course it's very tough for them, especially when you have the two Children. Imogen has travelled back and forth on too many occassions for her liking (probably), fallen asleep during late Carol services and seen her Christmas Day spent up in town and not at home enjoying her presents.
It's a lot for them to take on and not always easy, but we have moved from taking in colouring books, dolls and comics when she was five, to now taking part in the service now she's ten. Still, they bear the brunt but school holidays see our two hanging out together like most brothers and sisters don't. Absence makes the heart...
Siblings do go on to take the voice trials and become Choristers themselves and in one recent Chorister family, all four boys joined the Choir. Sometimes younger siblings join other choirs or start their own musical journeys, encouraged I'm sure by their bigger brothers.
It is a slightly unusual way to family life to be sure.
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