Three girls from LVI (Year 12) - Katie S, Elowen and Izzy A - attended the annual Merton College Choral Scholarship Workshop Day in Oxford. This was a fantastic experience that allowed the girls to have a look around Merton College, meet current Choral Scholars and members of the choir, and get to know some of the music staff.

Izzy A reported on the experience:

'We started the day by travelling to Oxford and got chatting to some other students who were also taking part in the workshop. Then, we were taken through to the TS Eliot Theatre for an invigorating, and often humorous, warm-up, taken by two of the singing teachers at Merton College. This gave us the chance to sing all together for the first time and, to many people’s delight and surprise, we managed to harmonise pretty much straight away! We also watched the current choir sing in the Chapel, which was incredible – the poise and professionalism really gave us something to consider for our own performance.  

We then went to lunch in the hall where Merton College students eat their meals. We enjoyed the delicious food and talked to some of the other girls who had come from all over the country. We were then split into two groups, depending on which vocal parts we’d be singing in the Evensong later; as part of Group A, Elowen, Katie and I went to the Chapel, to practice the pieces for later with the Choirmaster. The groups then switched and we attended a personal statement workshop – a very helpful and informative lecture, as it gave us information on how to write the personal statements - what to put in, what to leave out, the length, the tone - to name a few pointers given. It was particularly useful for applying to Oxford, as their ideal personal statement looks a bit different to those of other universities.

Next was tea, again in the hall. I don’t think I’ve ever seen doughnuts eaten with such relish! Katie, Elowen and I also were able to chat to one of the singing teachers who is also Director of Music at University College; he gave us some valuable insight into what they’d expect from those applying for a Choral Scholarship.  

Finally, the moment came which we had all been waiting for: the Evensong. To be able to sing with the choir was an experience I’ll never forget, especially during Zadok the Priest. We have sung it before in Chamber Choir, but to have the addition of the tenors and basses gave an amazing richness of sound. The sheer talent of the other singers – from both the current choir and the visiting students – was like nothing I’ve heard before and gave us such a sense of community and belonging.

To have such an experience was a great privilege and I know we all learnt something new; whether it be how to sing Psalms, new warm-ups, or even the daily life of a Choral Scholar. Whether or not we attend Oxford, we are incredibly grateful to have attended the day. A huge thank you to Miss Arthur for arranging our participation in the day and to Bob the driver for getting us to Oxford and back – twice!'