Monday I feel a mixture of nerves and excitement bubble up inside my stomach as I enter the school at which I will be spending a week for a National Youth Choir of Great Britain residential course. I can’t wait to see all my friends from the last course, but still feel a rush of anxiety as I enter the hall where around 150 youngsters are congregated. I find my way to the dormitory, unpack my suitcase and head off for the first rehearsal. This will be a gruelling but excellent week.
Tuesday I wake up very early in the morning to find girls running around all over the dormitory, and all the showers full! There are 18 girls in one very large room, so it is hard to sleep for long. We rehearse all day, and I seem to have forgotten just how amazing this choir is. We make an impressive noise, and I feel proud to be a part of it.
Wednesday Tonight was supposed to be party night, but due to an NYC open day, the rehearsals continue late into the evening. These open days usually consist of an old couple and their dog popping in for 10 minutes, but today the turnout is much improved. There are around 30 people, all of whom seem to be impressed by the choir. We all wear our National Youth Choir T-shirts, so the rehearsals are a mass of blue.
Thursday It is getting increasingly difficult to wake up in the mornings, due to long days of practice and mounting exhaustion, but we all manage to drag ourselves to breakfast. Tomorrow is the first concert, so we rehearse frantically all day. In the evening, it’s cabaret time: a chance for us all to let our hair down a bit. I perform “Hey Big Spender!” in true Shirley Bassey style with the rest of the Soprano 2s.
Friday The day of the concert has finally arrived, and we all must make sure our voices are in tip-top condition, although mine’s feeling a little the worse for wear. We board the coaches to our concert destination, and try to relax as nerves are flying high. We shouldn’t have worried, though; the concert goes swimmingly and we’re all tired but very happy. We have to go home tomorrow, which I desperately do not want to do. Thank God it’s Friday? I don’t think so.
Beth Langford, 16, sings with the National Youth Choir of Great Britain and is a pupil at Bridgnorth endowed school, Shropshire. If you have a diary to share (no more than 450 words), write to TES Friday, Admiral House, 66-68 East Smithfield, London E1W 1BX or email friday@tes.co.uk. We pay for every article we publish
