Richard White: "We're trying to serve the community"

Mr White said if all choir schools set up programmes of regular visits it could have a big impact on the quality of young people's singing.

Earlier this week, Mr White told choir school heads at their annual conference in Canterbury that more and more primary school pupils applying to become choristers needed considerable retraining.

Singing often lost out to other music lessons involving percussion instruments and electronic keyboards.

And those fortunate enough to do regular singing at school developed "chest" voices with much narrower ranges than the "head" voices needed to sing top notes

Joy of singing

Mr White said he was not criticising teachers or schools, which were under pressure to achieve in national curriculum tests in English, maths and science, and which did not have the funds to employ music specialists.

But he said the problem meant that many pupils were losing out on experiencing the joy of singing, and choir schools were finding it more difficult to recruit new choristers.

More than a quarter of the 41 members of the Choir Schools Association had seen applications fall over the past three years.

Choristers play rugby too

Mr White believes the government should pump more money into developing music and singing for young people in schools.

He said that in Cornwall, government funding had supported the appointment of two music co-ordinators who visit primary schools, but at least four were needed in the area.

By visiting primary schools, choir schools could do their bit to help improve music standards.

He said: "We're trying to serve the community and the state sector with a helping hand. On their own, they're not doing the sort of singing choirs should be doing.

"I think that possibly the most effective way of getting music back into primary schools is going to enthuse people with music.

Helping hand

"I believe that 50%, if not more, children in primary schools have got a natural ability to sing, and have got the ear to become quality singers, to become choristers.

"The assumption that choir schools have the top 2% musically of pupils in the country is totally wrong.

"When we visit a school, the first thing we do is go in and show them that the boys are normal. The impression some people have of choristers is something we've got to work on.

"They do play football, they do like pop music, all sorts of things.

"We talk about what we do, and what's involved. We sing to them, and possibly the most important section, we sing a round with them, so they're all singing together.

"It's the first time that many of these children have ever sung alongside children of their own ages who can really sing.

"I don't think the children in the primary schools have any preconceptions about us - maybe some of their parents do.

"One or two people might think it is patronising, but most people just see it as us giving them a helping hand.

"Primary school teachers can't all be expected to come out of college experts in everything, including music."

For information about the Choir Schools Association, send an e-mail to info@choirschools.org.uk