As the author of the article I thank all the contributors to this stimulating discussion. In response I could write another whole article -- but for now just a few points.

I didn’t intend to limit the focus to choral singing. I want to encourage soloists and small ensembles, stage-musical actors and anyone else who really wants to sing well. I am not really interested in the singing that needs electronic engineering to engage an audience. Nor am I very keen on the singing that needs amplification to be heard by a handful of people. I want people to sing with all the power of which their bodies are capable, and in the timbre (tone-colour) that is peculiar to them (due to anatomical attributes). That is authentic expression. In this respect, accepting your body is the seat of your integrity.

Authenticity is my focus for both boys and girls. But the problem with boys is more urgent in several ways: for instance, they have far fewer models; from their environment (mass media, peer-group etc.) they get constant discouragement to sing in their own voices; and then they must deal with the voice-change.

Help boys before adolescence to know and use the voices they were born with, to refine their feelings in the process, to be aware of the thoughts and feelings of their audience and fellow-performers, to understand and evaluate the historical origins and purposes of the music they are passing on. They won’t achieve these things through singing along with a recording of the latest pop hit or hiding their voices behind amplified sounds of guitars and drums. Let’s encourage each boy to expose his voice while we give him the wherewithal to please an audience and himself.

Then, in adolescence, help him to carry that child-voice into his new adult-voice, rather than channel his energy into masking himself behind a voice that is not his own. We should help each boy to be himself – to find and use his real voice with pride.

I hope this clarifies my intentions somewhat.

Thanks Crabby for your elucidating post.

I really appreciate the point you are trying to make. Just as women started to redefine their roles men are beginning to do the same. This will broaden the horizons for us all.

The definition of "a man" is narrow and limiting indeed.

When I am singing I can feel transcendant in a very spiritual sense - an uplifting experience that many boys should and could be able to reach.

If I ever have children I will consider your thoughts Crabby, thanks.

Crabby,
I would agree that good singing requires skill and practice and boys can be excellent singers, (oops, I just made a positive comment about the male gender on OLO of all places), but to help publicise or make known children’s choir singing and musicals there is the possibility of taking them to venues such as folk festivals.

Folk festivals are growing in popularity throughout the country and I think this is because more people are rejecting the highly commercialised music that is so often on the radio and TV. These folk festivals also acquaint the public to many different forms of music and help keep traditional music alive.

The Woodford folk festival is now regarded as being the biggest in the southern hemisphere and one of the best in the world. I often attend and I would think that there would be many people who would very much like to hear choir or a musicals performed by children at such venues

Dear Stephen Crabbe, I have an interesting story. I'm just an ordinary classroom music teacher in a state primary school in Gympie (Qld). At the beginning of this year I tried an experiment - I put the word out in our school that I was going to run auditions to start a boys choir. Unbelievably 74 boys fronted up for an audition! Out of those I chose 20 of the best singers, and now have a very enthusiastic 16 boys in the choir. I'd love to get more info on how to retain and train treble voices, am wondering if you know of any workshops or other boy choirs/choir directors that we could touch base with. I agree with your comments on the Ford ad, but also feel that such TV shows as Australian Idol probably help lift the profile of the male singer, (even though the singing technique sometimes leaves a lot to be desired!)But this has definitely proved that boys are more likely to join an all-boys choir.
Cheers, boyschoirgirl

There are many institutions in our nation which uphold and encourage our young men and boys to sing. Make your way to many independant religious schools, especially Anglican and Catholic, and you will find strong traditions of boy's choirs and singing, mainly through hymns.

The problem in this area is that modern hymns, especially in the Catholic church, are not suited to the young male voice, whether bass, tenor or soprano. Either they are too much like pop songs, demand too great a vocal range, or have words which are airy-fairy and vague.

Hymns like "I Vow To Thee, My Country", "Jerusalem" and "Be Thou My Vision" regularly raise the roof at the school I attend, and we love singing them. A full church, a strong organist, and a traditional hymn regularly raises the roof. Modern hymns send us to sleep as they are unsuited to our voices and our character.