New Brunswick’s Best Kept Secret

Almost 15 years ago my eight-year-old son Nigel and I walked into Choir School and we were hooked. It lasts only one week a year, but what a week of magic.

What is it? Well it’s not just the singing or the fun and games. There is also a real sense of Christian camaraderie. Imagine fifty or so young people from 8 to 17 sitting for hours at a stretch in cramped choir stalls in the Chapel at Rothesay Netherwood School, Rothesay, New Brunswick on a hot summer’s day singing music they have probably never heard before, some of them not even able to read music. They listen to explanations that are a bit bewildering; they endure note bashing and corny jokes from the choir director. Yet they come back year after year.

Click to enlarge image. Photo: Diocese of FrederictonChoir School began in 1957 when a group of dedicated Anglican Church musicians got together and decided a school was needed to teach choristers new music to take back to their parishes. The founding committee was comprised of Douglas Murray, Rosalie Belyea, Ruth Clarke, Douglas Major and Joyce Lumb. Little did those musicians know that it was to become the longest continuously run choir school in Canada. The present music directors are Carolyn Keirstead and Spencer Belyea while the adult clinician is Willis Noble.

Who are these children and teens who keep Choir School going? A great many are subsidised by their churches, and many organize fund raisers on their own to pay for the tuition. There is a really mixed bag of children from all walks of life. Some are members of church choirs and some never see the inside of a church from Choir School to Choir School. They come from many different denominations yet quickly learn the Anglican tradition and are happy to participate from Morning Prayer to Evensong.

Many alumni have gone on to study music professionally. One has made it to the world stage--Meesha Bruggergosman--who was Meesha Gosman then, a wonderful girl who once fell asleep and snored her way to Fredericton in my car!

All the services are taken from the Book of Common Prayer and each year a new setting to the Magnificat and the Nunc Dimittis is used and a Psalm and new anthems are introduced.

Click to enlarge image. Photo: Diocese of FrederictonAn average day at Choir School starts with chapel at 7:45, followed by breakfast. The timetable includes choir rehearsal, Christian Education, Christian Culture, games, rest, tuck and at the end of the day Evensong and circle time before bed. On Thursday evening Evensong is celebrated at a local church off campus. On the final Sunday, a Festal Evensong is celebrated at Trinity Anglican Church in Saint John. This service is packed with not only mums and dads but locals too.

The children who attend Choir School make good friends during the week; some never see those friends again until the next Choir School a year later. Then they pick up where they left off. These children watch out for each other and it is wonderful to watch them grow.

Twelve-year-old Sea Cadet Harry Belyea who is a six-year veteran says Choir School is “awesome” and relishes meeting his friends again. Helen Webb is a very serious 14-year-old who loves to sing and says that the music is the most important thing. Among the adults, Carolyn Keirstead says that from the first day 11 years ago Choir School “just grabbed” her, and Wandlyn Snelgrove is of a similar opinion: “just to sing wonderful music with like-minded folk.”

I love my role as House Mother. I help the children in rehearsal, but I also have a sacred trust. The children tell me things in confidence and I have to be very understanding and discreet. My biggest task is trying to combat the homesickness, which after the first couple of nights seems to sort itself out. As a former nurse I help out in the sick bay as well. Part of my job is to inspect the rooms for neatness; I never look in the closets!

First and foremost Choir School is about church music and worship. The music is chosen by the Music Directors with the help of the support staff committee. These dedicated people meet regularly throughout the year to plan and improve Choir School for the future.

There is a fine staff of counsellors who really run the school under the guidance of the support staff from the main committee. These counsellors are responsible for the smooth running of the school. They plan most of the sports and fun activities and are responsible for discipline during choir rehearsals. They are loved by the junior choristers and help to jolly them along when life seems a bit tedious.

Choir School is very relevant in the 21^st century. May it live forever. I am so blessed to be associated with it.