Do You Know Many 10 Year Olds Who Travel for Weeks at a Time Away From Home with a School Choir?

I'm overwhelmed with a sense of respect and admiration for a group of boys dedicated to singing for others  as I consider the extensive time and work that's required for them to succeed.  I'm spending some time in Princeton these days and was privileged to attend a concert of The American Boychoir School at the Princeton University Chapel last night. Wow! Amazing to see these boys that range from 4th -8th grade perform their Christmas concert. Their voices strike chords in your heart as you hear the pitch of their voices and unity of the entire group that allow the audience to experience such fabulous songs. The chapel was packed with people and it was wonderful to enjoy the Christmas spirit with song and readings while involving the audience in certain carols during the concert. It allows one to feel joy and comraderie with others, even strangers one may never see again, to come together and sing to celebrate Christmas.

As I'm viewing the program to follow along during the concert I notice they have songs written in it's original launguage with English written under it. The choir sang the songs in it's original language as well as English. It's good that they did because me not being proficient in any other language except English couldn't have truly appreciated the songs they were singing. Later, after the concert ended as I spoke with parents of these boys I was told they always sing the songs in it's language of origin. Wow, think of the time and dedication these young boys put into each song they sing. Don't we tend to appreciate something even more when we realize how much energy, time, and discipline it takes to create something so beautiful to strike the chords of our heart? And to think that the boys range in age of 10-13 years old. I sat there considering the high percentage of young boys who would rather be playing video games or watching tv and these boys were dedicated to using their gift to spread joy to others.

Before I attended the concert I found out some interesting information about the choir and the school they attend. The students come from various parts of the globe to attend this school. I was blessed to speak at length with one of the young choir members who live right here in Princeton. He's one of the youngest in the choir. I wanted to know what his life was like as a student. His day starts at 6:45 a.m. and when he's not on tour he arrives home about 6:30 p.m. I'm immediately thinking this is almost a 12 hour day for a child who is 11 years old. When he is on tour he might be gone for a week to three weeks at a time. They are partnered with another choir member on each tour bunking in private homes with families who choose to host the choir at each venue of performance. My mind starts swirling with all the different life skills these young boys are learning that have immense value in preparing them for life as an adult.  Such as...

1. adapting to new environments all the time (where they sleep and what they eat)
2. learning about different cultures as they travel
3. learning to work as a team both on and off the stage
4. experiencing new towns and cities
5. responsibility to be proactive in preparing for tours, such as packing essentials, managing time for homework, etc.

Yes, I can hear some parents saying this is way too much to put on a young boy and for some children it would be. My thought is, if a child has found a passion to do something, we as parents and mentors need to encourage and provide opportunities for them to flourish in those areas. In this case this young man is doing just that. I was truly inspired by these boys and they made my Christmas season that much brighter!