Berkeley Parents Network: Pacific Boychoir

Berkeley Parents Network

Pacific Boychoir

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > Groups, Clubs, & Teams > Pacific Boychoir

Parents' reviews of the Pacific Boychoir
Pacific Boychoir Academy 4-8 school

Parents' reviews of the Pacific Boychoir

August 2009

BPN Advisors: I have a very musical 3 year old toddler (he turns 4 in late September) who sings non-stop and has an uncanny ability to remember lyrics and sophisticated phrasing. I'm DELIGHTED that he's showing this talent, and I'd like to expose him to some sort of organized group to see if he flourishes even more. Wondering if anyone has recommendations on a parent-friendly (read: not too time/practice-intensive) organization/choir/group that fosters young songbirds. Thanks in advance! Mom of the next singing wonder

Your son sounds perfect for the Prelude group of PBA, the Pacific Boychoir Academy, http://www.pacificboychoiracademy.org. The website is fun, and you can get to the Prelude page via ''Boychoir Program'' and ''Our Choir Ladder''. Prelude is for the youngest guys starting at 4 years old, but boys sing at PBA all the way through high school. Watching the older guys is a great source of inspiration for the younger boys, and at concerts it's wonderful to see the progression from fidgety adorable kindergarteners to ultra-cool high school seniors. The atmosphere is happy and fun-filled, and the community is inclusive and diverse. There's no pressure to practice at home but the quality of the senior groups is stunning. My son is 12, has sung with PBA in 3 continents, and has had his life completely transformed by the experience. Welcome!

Re: Chorus for 5-year-old boy (Feb 2005)
My son participated in the Pacific Boychoir Academy for 5 years, just retired recently at age 15 because high school is so much more socially demanding and he's choosing sports instead. I heartily recommend the PBA, they are very professional and my son learned an incredible amount of music theory and vocal technique. He travelled with them to Australia/New Zealand, to Austria, to Italy, this summer to Prague; again, very organized and supervised. This year's summer trip will be to Paris. Not cheap. They are opening a school (hence the 'Academy' part of the name) similar to the American Boychoir and the Cathedral School over at Grace Cathedral in SF, so they can travel and still get schooling as well. My boy retired once (and later rejoined)when his voice changed, but now they have enough 'graduates' to have formed a Changed Voices group that sings tenor/bass parts with the 4 part trebles/altos. The repetoire for boychoirs is pretty religious (duh) but they get a beautiful sound out of the boys and the boys just love it. Bonnie

Re: Singing lessons for 5 year old boy (Sept 2004)
I do not have a recommendation for a private teacher but would like to give you an idea for a few years down the road. The Pacific Boychoir Academy in Oakland, which won a Grammy with the SF Symphony last year, is an amazing organization with incredible teachers. My oldest son has been with the choir for 4 years and has just made it to the international touring level. He has developed his voice, of course, but there is much more to it than that - he has developed in a million other ways that are attributable, in my eyes, to his choir endeavors. My youngest just started in February as well. We are not musical ourselves, so this is a fantastic gift and wonderful community of people with which to be introduced to choral music. Please see http://www.pacificboychoir.org/ for more information, and good luck. Nancy

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