Children learn that church music can be cool

Kieran Phillips, 9, is part of Trinity Cathedral's effort to ensure there will be church choirs in the future. Picture / Richard Robinson

Nine-year-old Kieran Phillips can barely peer over the music desk, even when he stands on his choir stool kneelers in his SpongeBob SquarePants socks.

And Liam Herbert, 11, was at first not sure that he wanted to spend his school holiday in a week-long choir programme.

"It sounded really, really bad," the fan of rapper Eminem said. "But the second day, you start to get used to it. And I'm getting better at my sight-reading."

That's just what Peter de Blois wants to hear. As music director at Auckland's Holy Trinity Cathedral, he's thinking about the next generation of choristers and teaching them the music of worship and "the music of fun".

"Kids don't know church choirs," he said of the programme.

"It's ensuring that we've got church choirs in the future."

It's a daunting task, though, especially with children listing acts such as Maroon 5, Avril Lavigne and Linkin Park as their top picks. But 10-year-old Monica Garrett said she doesn't mind singing along to Fruits of the Land and My Dear Heart.

"It's not boring church music," she said. "It's cool. The music isn't slow." Each day includes workshops, group lessons and practical singing at services for the cathedral.

The choristers - 15 children between the ages of 8 and 15 - will be performing in a service at 4.30pm today and tomorrow with a final performance at noon on Saturday.