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Children's Choir LOGO colour

Hertford Children’s Choir is a choir led by Rachel and Sam Chaplin for anyone aged 8-13* who loves singing and wants to develop their musicianship. Rehearsals are on Fridays 5.30-6.45pm at St Andrew’s Church Hertford and there are termly performances.
 
The choir sing a range of folk songs, rounds, gospel songs and classical pieces, as well as songs written especially for them by Sam and Rachel. Warm-ups and simple songs are taught by ear and other pieces are taught with sheet music. Choir members learn the basics of reading music and singing in harmony. The choir will suit children with natural musical aptitude but no prior musical experience is needed and there’s no audition requirement to join.
 
Hertford Children's Choir 2025

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Hertford Children's Choir performing at Eco-Fest, 11 May 2025

The choir perform in concerts and at community events and also perform every term within a service at St Andrew’s. There is a termly membership contribution of £50 and a £10 joining fee which includes the choir concert t-shirt. Assisted places are available.
 
Please register your interest using the form below and email rachelchaplinmusic@gmail.com if you would like to attend a free taster session.
 
*It may be possible to accept younger members if they are keen and confident singers. Do get in touch to enquire.

Sign up here

 

Your details (parent / guardian):
 

Your Name:
 
Telephone:
Email Address:


Your child's name, school and school year:


 

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Term dates

Fridays 5.30-6.45pm
May 2, 9, 16, 23
Half term (no session on May 30th)
June 6, 13, 20, 27, July 4, 11

Children's Choir poster NEW Ma
Click on the image to view/download a pdf version


The Hertford Children’s Choir Team


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Rachel Chaplin

Rachel is an international orchestral oboist and composer and also teaches oboe at St Albans High School. She grew up singing in school and church and is keen to give children the chance to experience the fun of singing in a choir, learning songs which will stay with them for life and learning basic musical skills: singing in harmony and reading music. She is married to Sam and they have three daughters.
 
Sam Chaplin Headshot
Sam Chaplin
Sam is a jazz trumpeter, singer, composer and choir director. He directs the Simon Balle community choir Take Note, as well as the London-based Choir With No Name. He leads and directs the band Jazzbomb, which performs at events around the UK and abroad.
 
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Jane Eldred
Jane is the Director of Music at St Andrew’s Church. She is a professional viola player and taught for many years at Simon Balle School and Hertford County Music Service. Jane directs the main church choir, which sings the services and an anthem weekly. Any Hertford Children’s Choir members who wish to develop their musical and choral training further can be given the opportunity to try out St Andrew’s Church choir, which follows the Royal School of Church Music ‘Voice for Life’ training scheme.
 


St Andrew’s launches Hertford Children’s Choir

An introduction by Rachel Chaplin (from the Dec/Jan issue of our parish magazine)

Some of my earliest memories of experiencing sheer joy and fun are associated with singing. At school we used to sing in assembly every morning, sing in class music lessons and sing in the school choir. I wonder whether children today have fewer chances to sing. There certainly seems to be a lot less singing in schools and that’s one reason why I am excited to start a children’s community choir here at St Andrew’s, to give children the chance to enjoy music and start a journey of singing which could stay with them for life. The choir will be open to anyone aged 8 to 13 who loves music. There’s no audition and anyone can come along and try it out.

Singing in a choir is a fantastic way to learn music. Children joining the choir will learn the basics of reading music, develop confidence in their own voice and learn to sing in harmony with others. Each session will start with fun warm-­up games, before we move onto learning music including folk songs, rounds, gospel songs and classical pieces.

The children’s choir will rehearse here at St Andrew’s Church, a wonderful venue with a long tradition of hosting live concerts, and the home church of St Andrew’s Church choir which sings weekly Sunday services. There are plans afoot for the children’s choir to perform termly in an All-­Age service and also at community events such as a Saturday Coffee Morning. Further down the line, we intend to collaborate with other choirs and musical ensembles to give the children the chance to perform in larger concerts alongside experienced musicians.

All in all, we hope the children’s choir will be part of the church’s welcome to the local community, opening its doors to people in and around Hertford with a love of music at the heart. 
Glenys
Hello and welcome to St Andrew's. If you are new, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Planning your Visit

Banner group 1140x320A Warm Hello 

No one belongs here more than you.

We look forward to meeting you! Here's some information so that if you're planning a visit you know beforehand what to expect on a Sunday morning.  We have other pages telling you more About Us, our approach to Faith and our Online services.

Where and When

We meet at the Church Building (details below) for our main Sunday Service starting at 10.30am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you find a parking space and can settle in before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team.

Plan your journey:
While, unfortunately, St Andrew's does not have its own carpark, there is a council-run pay and display carpark a short distance along St Andrew Street, to the east of the church; there is a £2 flat-rate charge for parking in this carpark on Sundays, Bank and Public Holidays.

This is a useful East Herts Council website page for full details of parking in Hertford.

There are single yellow lines outside the church with parking restrictions, but some 30-minute parking bays are situated on the opposite side of the road for short stays (longer on Sundays).

Open Google Maps

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There is a disabled toilet towards the back of the church, behind the kitchen.

Our Service

The service will usually begin promptly at 10.30am and will last between 60 and 75 minutes. We enjoy the presence of an excellent choir who help us sing hymns (modern and traditional) as well as provide anthems and special songs through the period of communion. We have a traditional organ but also benefit from music played on the piano and by our band (eg on the Second Sunday of each month when we have an All-Age Service in which our children and young people are fully involved).

Each 10.30am service includes a sermon, prayers and eucharist.

After the service, everyone is invited for coffee and conversation - some like to stay for a quick chat while others remain in the church for a longer time.

Communion

Children and Young People

Children are never too young to come to church. You and your children are very welcome at St Andrew’s. 

We really value worshipping God together as a family, so children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service before being invited to leave for the young people's activities after the first hymn. Junior Church meets in the St Andrew's Centre (our adjoining hall), accessed through the church on Sunday mornings. You will need to go with your children to their groups and register them as part of our child safety policy.

The children and young people then return to the main service in time to join the eucharist and, if confirmed, take Holy Communion or, if not, receive a blessing. We offer a little box of raisins to children being blessed at the altar.

There is a Children's Corner in church where you can go at any time. You will find books, toys and drawing materials there.

Toilet and baby-change facilities are located at the back of church, behind the kitchen.

There's more information here: Children and Young People at St Andrew's

Junior Church celebration

Getting Connected


Home Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week. Check out Home Groups on our website and see if there’s one that you could join. Alternatively, speak to a member of the Welcome Team who will give you the information that you need.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team. Please contact Phil in the Church Office.

Get in touch with us
If you have any questions, please do get in touch. You'll find our contact details here.

We hope that you will feel at home at our church.

Group photo at the top of the page taken by Tim Pike