Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion How much?

Ah; I could easily believe the wrong kind of training could be harmful. The English choral tradition takes boys (traditionally - now girls too) from, yes, about 8 to puberty. Here's an example of the result:

(This is the choir of King's College Cambridge; the choir schools are all, I think, associated either with a cathedral or with an Oxford or Cambridge college. In some cases, being a chorister is an extracurricular, as it were, but in the best, the choristers attend schools organised around music.)
And here's one link about the history:
http://winchester-cathedral.org.uk/music-choir/our-choral-tradition/

ETA Lest there be too little connection to gifted education, let me comment that I've heard it said this is a great education for some gifted children. Not only is the musical education they get fantastic, but also, the schools have to provide a flexible and fast-paced education to fit in with the musical demands, and the hard-working ethos rubs off. The schools are fee-paying, but support for the choristers is easily available, and the experience makes them attractive to the best senior schools too. If we weren't atheists, and/or if our nearest choral option had been better, and/or if our best other option had been less good, we'd certainly have considered applying for DS. I dare say there are people with less rosy experiences than the ones I've heard about, though.