Thorough preparation is key to a flawless performance when 200 million listeners tune in to hear the annual (and beloved) broadcast of the King's College Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols.

And what exactly is choral music? Music claimed by choruses is often not choral in origin—it becomes choral music when a chorus sings it.

College a cappella pretty much started at Yale in 1909 with the Whiffenpoofs, a Glee Club spin-off quartet that sang regularly at Mory's Temple Bar, a campus restaurant. Now, a cappella singing has exploded, spreading to campuses all over the U.S. and abroad. Read about how this movement has taken off.

Activities undertaken by children and teens can profoundly influence the shape of their lives, and singing in a chorus is unusually powerful. Interviews with choral singers show that such early encounters grow into close, passionate relationships with music and choral singing, reflecting the positive influence that choral singing plays in bringing value, direction, and meaning to lives.