now boarding

What happened to years six and seven?

I guess the challenge you set your self when posting a diary format blog is the expectation, the requirement to post regularly, especially when the subject matter is liable to frequent and noteworthy change.

There are two reasons for this 2 year break in posting; one that we moved house early in the summer tem of 2011 and soon after I started work on the London 2012 Olympics which pretty much took up all my available time until late 2012. I guess the second reason is that year six and to a degree year seven seemed at the time to be realtively unremarkeable, the comfortable middle period.

Of course they weren't, and I'll aim to report some of those activities, but at the time it just all seemed like business as usual.

Of course Tom did special things; he worked super hard at school and his end of terms grades seemed to get better and better. He undertook an increasing number of important and high profile solos. His Cello went from strength to strength, he won cups and prizes. The choir toured, recorded and performed its duties at special, televised occassions. We started planning his next school.

All of which he seemed to take in his stride as to a degree did we, his family. 

But now he's in his final year, year eight and the hike up the steep slope that started five years ago is now an equally short (how short?) descent. He was awarded the honour of being made Head Chorister and has attended to those duties with aplomb, taking part in the ceremony to admit new Choristers at the first Sunday Evensong after returning from summer holidays. We can remember him being admitted as if it was only yesterday and so it feels as if the circle for this chorister family is completing.

 

First half of term.

After the full-on month of advent and all the Christmas services, and a good couple of weeks holiday, the winter term approaches with all the regularity that business as usual brings.

We've been very busy as a family since Christmas trying to move house, hence the lapse in posts, so here's a brief overview of some of the things that have happened.

Christmas Day
Our second Christmas spent at the Cathedral, Tom has a hectic schedule (which I'll describe later) and we end up collapsing in a heap back home around 5.30 in the evening. What's nice is that for us, having our family day on boxing day, added to the festive warm up of activities, services and concerts, means that christmas is warmly long and gradual, enabling us to savour the spiritual aspect of this time of year. 

Settling back in
Tom goes from strength to strength and the beginning of this term was his best ever, I know he'd agree that. He helped with packing and organising and there was barely a tear on returning to school.

Radio 3 Broadcast
Every year around the time of St. Paul's day, choral evensong is broadcast live from the Cathedral. Apart from the microphones everywhere it's business as usual for the boys.

Parents Evening
There are some teachers we barely get the chance to see, or indeed have never met before, so the parents evening is a great opportunity. And of course to hear how Tom's doing. Here too he seems to be going from strength to strength. Possibly as his confidence in the choir and with boarding rises, his school work reflects this.

Games Workshop trip
One Saturday I took five of the boys to Games Workshop on Oxford Street. They loved it. They really are a great bunch, working and playing together and supporting each other in a way that would put many adults to shame. 

300th Anniversary Gala
A big concert this one, to celebrate the Cathedral's 300th year of completion. John Rutter conducted and Andrew Carwood, the director of music, sang Tenor. 

Cello
We knew Tom was enjoying his cello but we weren't quite prepared when his teacher told us just how much potential she believes he has (echoed by the schools director of music). The plan is for him to take his grade 2 exam this spring but then skip straight to grade 5. this also means we need to prepare for the purchase of decent instruments, so long as, as his teacher puts it, he doesn't decide to give it up and play rugby.

A new year 5 chorister
Tom is joined by a new probationer after half-term, boosting the numbers in his year to four! Eight seems to be average. For a couple of terms, Tom was the only chorister in his year.

 

Magnificat solo for the Cathedral's youngest Chorister.

Yes, he did it bless him and beautiful it was by all accounts.

Tom sang two lines from Byrd's second service Magnificat (the solo is at about 2 mins 42 secs):

As he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his seed for ever.

Mum saw his afterwards and he was pleased as punch and promptly performed a magic trick with a 5p piece. Quite normal then.

So just over a year from he soloing at our local church's Christingle and Carol services, he's now performing solos at one of the world's most recognised Cathedral's. Not so normal then.

That was the first weekend in the Cathedral

SSo this was going to be a fairly important test for all of us. For Theo - how would he deal with staying at school all week and the weekend? For us, how would we cope with him not not being at home for seven nights? And practically, what would this new style weekend be like?  

First observations were that this was a bit of a success.

I visited Friday evening after supper and he was really happy - I guess those few occasions of not being able to collect him at the normal Friday time of 3.40 actually paid off - this sense of stepped preparation clearly works. In fact, and this is always a good sign, he told me "You can go now Daddy".

We didn't go up on Saturday morning ('normal' visiting or leave is from 10.00 - 15.00 CHECK!!! ) but as it was our wedding anniversary, we visited after supper (en route to an evening out). This time the boys were settling in for a movie and we spoke only briefly - clearly he was more interested in the entertainment than us. That said he was quite happy and comfortable; 'tuck' was going to be brought to them ;-)

There are often activities planned at the weekend - that will need to be a separate post - and clearly that arrangement works well, and is easier in the summer with the better weather. Luckily there is a huge variety of activities available close by and his time they visited one of the larger modern art galleries in town.

We weren't too sure of the visiting 'procedures'. We had thought we cold visit after the Sunday Eucharist, be with him the afternoon for the few hours until Evensong (mercifully earlier at 15.15 on a Sunday) - but this was not to be the case.Clearly after years of experience, the school believe it's better the boys have the afternoon to chill' before Evensong, in preparation for an evening at home.

Of course we're learning so much at this time and it's a wee bit strange to have your weekend dictated by the school and the choir's commitments. Strange only in as much as we're not used to it.

So come Sunday afternoon, we were all really excited and arrived in good time to take our places in the quire (this Cathedral refers to the quire as the place where the choir perform - but other churches refer to choir stalls etc. etc.

I've been at Evensong and sat in the congregation but that's nothing compared to the experience of sitting in the quire. The sound is so much better - particularly being able to hear the trebles with so much clarity. One of the year 8 boys solo'd in Nunc Dimitis (CHECK!!!) which was beautiful; his parent's were obviously very chuffed.

You sit up high and can look diagonally at the choristers, so siting in Cantoris you can see the choir on Decani.

Unfortunately since we last visited, Tom had switched sides as it were so we only saw him as he processed in and out. We'll know next time! 

He looked great, not yet in a white cassock, flanked by two of the older boys, processing beautifully. Awesome!

It was also lovely to be with the other chorister parents - and there were a good few of them along with younger siblings.

After the service we collected Tom from school and pretty much drove straight home. The the evening few by, upper, a movie then off to bed fr an early 5.40 wake-up tobe back at school for 07.30 'sigh'.

The weekend was full of other activities too, ballet and party for his younger sister, our wedding anniversary on Saturday and on Sunday, I ran a youth talk at our local church - so it seems we can successfuly juggle - given plenty of organisation and a little luck!

On 'Dec'

I'm off to Choral Evensong tomorrow and just to ensure I sit on the correct side of the quire, I drew this on the whiteboard for Tom to show me where he'll be. Probationers are present at Evensong Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday but don't perform with the full choir as yet and sit three to a bench in front of the singing choristers. We lucky probationer parents get to sit literally right alongside the choristers, and they appreciate us being there.

Tom's on the Decani 'Dec' side; as opposed to Cantoris (or 'can of bean's as Tom puts it)... Can and Dec are the two sides in church where the choir sit. decani (Dec) is where the Dean sits and Cantoris (Can) is the other side. In other words, looking at the altar, Dec is on the right and Can on the left. Traditionally Dec is 1st treble and Can 2nd treble as is music parts if the top part spilts into two.

The headmaster's usually there, and I'd expect a teacher or two, too. The music will be outstanding of course, the readings exceptional and overall it will be a truly spiritual experience.

Just need to ensure I can get away from work in time.