Courses: what to bring, what to wear Expand Bedding is provided, but please bring sufficient comfortable, respectable clothing to last the duration of the course, a towel, toothbrush etc., pencils, water bottle, folder in which to hold your music, NYCGB concert folder and NYCGB purple polo-shirt (the polo-shirt and concert folder are given to new members on the first course they attend). You'll wear your purple NYCGB polo-shirt for any activities that take place off-site such as Pop-up concerts, or rehearsals at the concert venue, but you don't need to wear it for every-day rehearsals. For the concert you must wear the following: Male - NYCGB concert shirt, smart plain black trousers (not jeans), smart black shoes (not trainers) and black socks. Female - NYCGB concert shirt, smart plain black trousers (not jeans or leggings)/floor length skirt, smart black shoes (low heel of around 1-2cm), black socks/opaque tights. You are allowed to wear minimal make-up and long hair must be tied back.
Courses: taking time off during a course Expand You are required to register on the first day of a course, usually around lunchtime, and remain on the course until after the concert. In exceptional circumstances, requests to be absent for a short time mid-course may be sympathetically considered, but missing any part of a course will make it difficult for you to get the most out of it and may devalue the work put in by other members. If you are expecting exam results during your summer course, please ask your school for a way of accessing your results. We allow time away from rehearsals on the morning of results for you to make necessary phone calls and offer strong pastoral support at this time. Free time is also available during the evenings, either for relaxation, or revision if you have exams looming!
Membership: choir structure Expand You will, by now, have been assigned to a choir according to your age and ability. There are several levels; Junior Choirs (Cambiata Voices, Boys' Choir and Girls' Choir), Training Choir (North and South) and National Youth Choir (our senior choir). The age ranges overlap to enable singers of varying ability to be assigned to the most appropriate choir. Your progress is also evaluated on each course. If NYCGB staff have concerns about your progress during a course, we may raise this with you, and/or your parents/guardians. If there are still serious concerns following consultation with you and your parents, you may be asked to re-audition for NYCGB. If you're a member of the Girls’ choirs, Boys’ Choir, Cambiata Voices or Training Choir, you will remain in your choir until you reach the leaving age, or - if you feel you're ready for the demands of the next choir - you can audition early. If you're a member of National Youth Choir you are required to audition annually each Autumn and your last year as a member of National Youth Choir will be the academic year in which you turn 22. Auditions for entry to our Junior, Training and National Youth Choirs take place annually each Autumn. Our National Youth Chamber Choir comprises senior members of the National Youth Choir and is the only NYCGB ensemble to function on a paid professional basis. If you're a member of National Youth Choir, you may be asked to audition for National Youth Chamber Choir during a course. Eight Fellows make up the core of National Youth Chamber Choir and are selected at annual open auditions each Winter.