The Madeleine Choir School

This is a great school. It really is first and foremost a musical education—more than we realized when we enrolled—but we have found the academics quite good as well, with some real superstars among the teaching staff. Principals (there are two) are responsive, cheerful, and helpful, and they seem to know each and every family personally. This means that they go above and beyond to support your kids, all of whom they really know. It does not take long before the school feels like a family. The environment is just nice.This is probably helped by the intensity of the choral program, particularly in the upper years (grades 5-8). I should note that children are not required to join the choir except for in fifth grade only, but the school's greatest opportunities come from embracing the music program offered. Our kid has given several concerts internationally in Italy, Portugal, and at the Vatican, and has toured domestically as well. Choristers frequently perform with the Utah Opera and occasionally collaborate with the Utah Symphony, among others, and the school supports this with modified school schedules and specialized voice training. I think the choir also makes the children more confident and thus kinder to one another; in musical settings, they are rightly treated as professionals, on a par with the grown men of the choir or the soloists accompanying them at major concerts. None of those kids doubt that they have worth, and they don't need to put down others to feel big. How could you doubt your own value when you personally are a soloist at a mass at St. Peter's in the Vatican, with thousands in the audience? The easy, self-assured confidence of these kids is off the charts. In our experience, the tweens and young teens at the school are fabulously kind. But then, they sing together, travel together, work on professional opera together, and spend weeks each year living together on tour or at choir camp without their parents present, and they all know how capable they each are. It makes for a very kind middle school community. Of course the elementary kids are lovely too.Again, kids are not required to join or tour with the choir. But I would highly recommend it!Upsides: Fabulous musical education. Opportunity to perform professionally at home and abroad. Some superstar classroom teachers. Hiking club has been excellent. Wonderfully kind environment, from the principals down to the youngest students. Generous financial aid.Downsides: 1. There is a fair amount of turnover among classroom teachers at this school (though the teachers hired tend to be very good). 2. Academics are above average, but we would love it if they were even better. There is so much cultural capital at the school, but you'd expect kids who can sight-sing Bruckner and perform at a professional level in Latin, German, French, and Russian to know, well, any history at all. 3. The choir is a heck of a time commitment. Top choristers sing several church services each week in addition to multiple professional concerts each year (all of which require extensive rehearsal), they travel away for tours starting at age 10, and they may optionally join Utah Opera performances, which rehearse sometimes until 10 pm on school nights. Even in the summer, there are (optional, but highly recommended) choir camps, performances at music festivals, and so on. Sometimes the kids are also asked to record for CDs, radio programs, or TV. These are opportunities, but they do limit the other extracurriculars a kid can do.

We're starting our 4th year at MCS (3 students). There are great schools in Salt Lake County for PreK-8 (both public and private options), but we chose MCS for the music program. Music at MCS is more extensive than at any other school in Utah (and is largely unparalleled in the US). Students learn Spanish starting in pre-K and Latin starting in 4th grade to help prepare them for the extensive Latin music repertoire they sing starting in 5th grade. Music theory and ear training begin in Kindergarten, and by 5th grade, students are covering material found in the AP Music Theory curriculum. Students in 2nd & 3rd grades receive violin lessons 2x/week, & in 5th and 8th grades the 6 choirs rehearse daily. We've stayed, though, because MCS isn't *just* about music. Somehow MCS manages to balance music with a whole-child approach; they provide rigorous core, honors, and elective classes, but the highest emphasis is on creating a loving, kind, and accepting community. Teachers meet each child where they are, and individual differences are embraced (not just tolerated). Service to each other and to the community is built into every aspect of the school, and students are nurtured and empowered to become the very best versions of themselves.

This is an amazing school. The music program is as good as any in the world, and indeed the choristers tour the world (both domestically and internationally). All students receive extensive musical training in voice, violin, and music theory, and students are also offered optional private lessons (on campus) in other instruments. Top choristers are full working musicians, with a full program of services at the cathedral. We are not Catholic but we've found this an amazing opportunity. However, it is a serious time commitment and may not be for all children.The academics are fine, sports aren't great, the main building is very beautiful, the chapel is excellent, science education is pretty sound, and the community is wonderful. But none of this is why you choose the Madeleine Choir School. The whole point of going here is to get a musical education as well as that at St. Thomas's (New York) or Westminster Abbey School (UK). Everything else is window dressing.