The Boys of St. Paul's Choir School

童声合唱团   Saint Paul’s Choir School, a Cambridge, Massachusetts private school for boys in the 4th through 8th grades, was founded in 1963 by Dr. Theodore Marier.  Now under the leadership of Music Director Mr. John Robinson, the school, located adjacent to St. Paul’s Church | Harvard Square, has recently celebrated its 50th anniversary year as a full-time day school for boys.   Dedicated to providing rigorous academic training and an extensive and unique education in music and liturgy, the Choir School accepts musically talented and academically qualified boys ages nine through fourteen for full-time study in grades four through eight. Students hail from several communities in the greater Boston area.   The area’s best secondary schools aggressively recruit Choir School students. Choir School graduates have attended Milton Academy, Roxbury Latin School, Beaver Country Day School, Portsmouth Abbey School, Boston University Academy, Middlesex School, Belmont Hill School, Deerfield Academy, Noble and Greenough, Boston Latin School, Boston College High School, St. Sebastians’s Country Day School, Arlington Catholic, Matignon High School, Malden Catholic and Catholic Memorial. Almost every year, several eighth graders are named “Scholar of the School” at Boston College High School, an honor conferred only on those scoring in the top five percent of all candidates taking the entrance examination. In the past, Choir School students have gone on to win “Ignatian Scholarships,” four-year full tuition scholarships at Boston College High.   MUSIC PROGRAM Music is taught in a thorough and systematic way. In singing, special emphasis is given to the development of the head voice which produces the much-acclaimed sound of the Choir. Ample opportunities are provided for creative activities including improvisation and composition. All boys study the recorder in grades four, five and six, and the piano in grades four, five,six, seven and eight. This training reinforces and complements the skills learned in the vocal music program. The study of the organ and other instruments is available to qualified students.   ACADEMIC PROGRAM Uniquely integrated with music study, the school’s diverse academic offerings aspire to give each student a strong foundation in basic skills and to provide multiple opportunities for enrichment. The positive influence of the study of music on other academic areas is clearly evident. Classes are small and motivation is high among both students and teachers, making for a lively, energetic and creative classroom environment.