When speaking of children’s choirs, do we not usually refer to girls? Don’t boys sing? And shouldn’t we be worried that in 25 years from now, there will be no men left in our choirs?

 

The declining interest of boys and males in singing has several causes. Centuries of choral traditionshow that boys greatly enjoy singing, but that their participation rate decreases rapidly when girls are admitted. The disappearance of the ‘men only’ mentality plays a major role.

 

We seem to have forgotten that children develop differently depending on their gender. Boys are more physically present, have more difficulty concentrating and mature later than girls. If boys’ behaviour is repeatedly labelled as negative, they will quickly lose their pleasure in singing.But boys love to sing, and they improve significantly in a stimulatingand secure environment. 

 

During my lecturewe will explore how we can best work with boys, based on repertoire and boys’ specific topics of interest. The songbook Boys, keep on singing!was written especially for use in practice and will alsobe presented during my lecture.

 

The “Colours of Peace”theme symbolises the diversity of choral life. Don’t forget the boys!

 

www.boyskeeponsinging.com