A boy's voice is a truly remarkable thing. It has a clarity - a beauty - an innocence that is found in no other voice or instrument. The boy's voice and song seems to be in direct contrast to everything else about him. The toughest, sneakiest, most impish, smelliest, dirtiest boy becomes a cherub when he sings in that true voice that God gave him.

But then - before we know what happened - the voice is gone - gone forever. He can still run and play. He can still throw, catch, and bat a ball. He can still make a basket, score a goal and run like the wind. He can even still sing. But the voice of the boy is lost forever.

Each boy has a short time in his life when he can make that special, ethereal sound. Between seven and fourteen years of age the boy has the voice of an angel. Then it changes - some even change as young as eleven - and fades into the past.

If we think the boy can sing with that voice later - we are wrong. If we think we should wait a year when it might better fit our schedule, we are wrong. That voice will not wait. It will come and go on its own schedule, not ours. The time to use and develop this talent is now. There is not time to wait.

Giving the boy the opportunity to develop that talent is the responsibility of the parent, not of the boy. The decision is a parental responsibility. The Columbus Boy Choir offers a singing opportunity and experience that is unique in our community. If your son likes to sing and has the talent to do it well, he should be in the Columbus Boy Choir. He can play ball for the rest of his life - his boy's voice will soon be gone forever.

- Rick Smith
Columbus Boy Choir
Columbus, Georgia