Education | ED05 | Summer 2018

Education Magazine
THE CHORISTER’S PARENT: Joanna Lootens
Kasper started at St Paul’s in Year
4 when he was eight and a half.
He will have been at St Paul’s for five
years when he finishes in the summer.
He previously attended Milbourne
Lodge in Esher and his violin teacher
there suggested Kasper might enjoy
being a chorister. I looked at the St
Paul’s website and it seemed so easy
to set up a first informal audition
that I thought “why not?”.
We didn’t prepare much for the
audition – Kasper had never had a
singing lesson! – and we had never
been to St Paul’s Cathedral before.
We had a lot of thinking to do
when he was offered a place. We
had never planned to send Kasper to
a boarding school aged eight… But
we liked the fact that it was a normal
co-ed school. So, alongside being a
chorister, Kasper would have a normal
school day with non-chorister friends.
Our proudest moment was the first
time we saw him singing on a televised
service, seeing him looking so happy
and confident in the music. More
recently, it was wonderful to see him
and his friends singing solos in the
Messiah and St Matthew’s Passion.
We’ve got to know all the boys so well, it
feels like they are all part of our family.
“The cathedral
community is incredibly
welcoming to people of
all faiths and none”
As the boys spend so much time in the
cathedral, my personal view is that it’s a
good thing if both the chorister and his
family feel comfortable in that religious
environment. That doesn’t mean that
the boys need to come from a Church
of England background. A genuine love
of music and
performance,
and the ability
to work hard as
part of a team
are much more
important.
The cathedral
community is incredibly welcoming
to people of all faiths and none.
Kasper always enjoyed music.
When he was around two years old,
I remember him saying that opera
on the radio was “lovely music”.
However, whilst I’ve always encouraged
music enjoyment, I wouldn’t say
we are a particularly musical family.
Whilst there are choristers from
very musical families, there are also
those, like Kasper, who have really
developed their talent in the choir.
St Paul’s Cathedral School
020 7248 5156 spcslondon.com
Co-educational, day & day boarding & boarding school for school 3-18 years for in 3-18 South-East years in England South East England
With small class sizes and exceptional facilities, St Lawrence College provides
outstanding opportunities for all pupils academically, in sport and in the arts.
Junior School Open Day: Fri 5 October 2018
Senior School Open Day: Sat 6 October 2018
T: 01843 572931 E: admissions@slcuk.com www.slcuk.com
St Lawrence College, College Road, Ramsgate, Kent CT11 7AE
surrey-homes.co.uk
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