Voice

The voice is an incredibly inclusive instrument, available to everyone and unique to all. At Barney, we celebrate the way that we can create music together using our voices, and we offer many ways for our pupils to sing, be that in whole-school activities, vocal ensembles or individual music lessons.

All pupils take part in weekly congregational singing practices, known affectionately as ‘Congers’. These are led by the Director of Music and bring all members of the School together, while promoting our belief that ‘every child is a musician’. Congers sessions form an integral part of the school week and are often spoken of with fondness by former pupils when recounting their time at Barney. The annual House Singing competition provides another opportunity for the School to come together as a whole, using the power of the voice as a unifying tool. Despite a healthy rivalry between Houses, the day always proves to be a thoroughly enjoyable one, with every pupil in the School involved in a singing performance throughout the event.

Our Chapel Choir is one of our flagship ensembles and brings together the whole school community; our 70-strong choir currently contains pupils from throughout the School alongside several staff members, many of whom are not academic music staff. The Chapel Choir is open to all pupils wanting to join, and rehearses on Tuesday lunchtimes – not so surprisingly, in the Chapel! The Choir enjoy a varied programme of performance opportunities throughout the School, including regular Choral Assemblies and services. Previous years have also included trips to Durham Cathedral and York Minster to sing Choral Evensong.

Similarly to the Jazz Collective, we offer our most aspirational young musicians the opportunity to sing in the Chamber Choir. While the Chapel Choir focuses on larger-scale pieces and standard repertoire, like practising canticles for Choral Evensong, the Chamber Choir tackles more challenging and diverse music and enjoys a dedicated rehearsal on a Friday afternoon.