Your performance outfit should be clean and smart, help you feel confident and comfortable, and make you feel like a part of one big team.

All choir members need to have a purple polo shirt they can wear on concert day. Please order one in advance as these are not available to buy on the course. Choir members will need:

If you are unsure about whether you have the right things for your performance outfit, please check our guidelines below. If in doubt, bring a few options with you.

Extra guidance for performance outfits

• Clothing should be plain black with no visible logos, designs or patterns
• Tops should cover the shoulders and midriff - please no strappy tops, vests, crop tops or off-the-shoulder tops. You are welcome to layer different tops to achieve this.
• Trousers should be smart, and straight or wide-legged - please no leggings or jeans
• Shoes should be comfortable and smart - trainers are fine if they are all black with no visible logos, please no high heels
• Please avoid wearing anything that might distract you during the performance - keep your hair off your face, leave your smart watch in your bag and avoid squeaky or clacky shoes!

Prescribed Medications

• Any prescribed medications needed on a course must be handed directly to the staff team on arrival.
• Medications must be in their original packaging, and clearly show the name of the choir member, name of the medicine, dose, times of administration, date the medicine was dispensed, date of expiry and any other special requirements.
• Any medication that does not meet these requirements won't be accepted, and you will be asked to arrange for an emergency prescription with a local pharmacist before you leave course drop-off.
• Any unused medication will be returned to families at the end of a course.

Inhalers and Epipens

• If a choir member requires an inhaler or EpiPen, they must bring at least two on the course with them. One will be carried with them at all times, and the other should be handed to course staff on arrival to be kept in the pastoral office (daytime) or boarding house (nighttime).
• All choir members who use inhalers or EpiPens must have completed an Action Plan well in advance of each course. If this applies to you, you should have already received an email about your Action Plan from our Head of Safeguarding, Joy Brereton.

Non-prescribed medications e.g. painkillers

• For 9-15s: Non-prescribed medication (like painkillers) will only be given to choir members with written permission from their registered adult. If non-prescribed medication is needed for over 48hrs, we can arrange for the member to visit a pharmacist, GP or A&E.
• For 15-18s: Choir members are allowed to manage taking their own non-prescribed medications (like painkillers) on courses if this is what they usually do at home. If not, our staff are on hand to help choir members take non-prescription medications if requested by their registered adult.
• Choir members are expected to self-administer non-prescription supplements, like daily vitamins. Staff can provide reminders, but it's recommended to bring something like a pill-organiser if you think your choir member will need help remembering.
• Any unused medication will be returned to families at the end of a course.

Sometimes there are opportunities for choir members to sing a solo song on a course. If this sounds good to you, we suggest you prepare a song before the course (ideally from memory) and bring the sheet music with you. That way, an accompanist can play with you on the course. There are different opportunities available to different ages:

For 9-15s:

• There will be a vocal masterclass. A masterclass is like a short open singing lesson, where a handful of singers have one-on-one vocal coaching in front of a friendly 'audience' of other choir members. It is really fun and a great chance to experiment and learn with our expert vocal coaches.
• If you are interested in taking part, please prepare a song with and bring the sheet music with you. To get the most out of a masterclass, it's best to know the song from memory already.
• Places in the masterclass are limited - we aim to chose a mix of ages, voice types and song styles. Please don't be discouraged if you do not get offered a spot to sing this time. You can still learn lots from attending as an audience member.

For 15-18s:

• We plan to offer vocal masterclasses. A masterclass is like a short open singing lesson, where a handful of singers have one-on-one vocal coaching in front of a friendly 'audience' of other choir members. It's a good opportunity to practice performing, and a great chance to experiment and learn with our expert vocal coaches.
• If you are interested in taking part, please prepare a song with and bring the sheet music with you. To get the most out of a masterclass, it's best to know the song from memory already.
• Places in the masterclass are limited - we aim to chose a mix of ages, voice types and song styles. Please don't be discouraged if you do not get offered a spot to sing this time. You can still learn lots from attending as an audience member.

• Some singers will be offered individual coaching sessions with one of our expert vocal coaches.
• To get the most out of this, please learn a song in advance - it can be any style, and accompanied or unaccompanied
• Make sure you bring the sheet music with you, so the vocal coach can see what you're working on

We have a mobile phones policy to help choir members make the most of course activities. The policy around mobile phones depends on the age of the singer.

• For NYC (9-15 Years) - we strongly recommend that singers in this age range do not bring smartphones on their courses. 'Brick phones' with limited features can be a good option for keeping in touch. Singers will only be allowed access to their phones during certain times of day, during their free time. For younger singers (Years 5-6 in England & Wales, P5-P6 in Scotland or P6-P7 in Northern Ireland), mobile phones must be left in the boarding house and handed in to the Head of House to be kept securely locked away when not in use. For older singers (Years 7-10 in England & Wales, P7-S3 in Scotland or Year 8-11 in Northern Ireland), mobile phones must be left in the boarding house and switched off overnight after lights-out/overnight.
• For NYC (15-18 Years) - singers always have access to their mobile phone. It should be kept securely in their bag, and should not be used during rehearsals, group activities or in the dining hall.

If a choir member is getting distracted or is disrupting the experience of other members with their device, it may be taken away from them temporarily on the course. Choir members will always be able to contact their adults at specific times (usually before breakfast) either using their own device or the course mobile.