The school

Forming upright, joyful men

The Academy is an educational work for boys from CM1 to Terminale.

Like every educational work, it offers parents, who are the first and principal educators of their children, a shared place of education that is both open to society and protected.

It offers a coherent answer to families who want their son to pass through adolescence in a setting grounded in a Christian vision of the human person.

In short, it aims to foster in its boys a unity of life that makes them solid men, balanced adults, committed Christians.

The Academy stands in the long tradition of choir schools that grew up in the shadow of churches to serve the liturgy.

Music, especially sacred music, holds a major place, and the boys receive a complete musical training (instrumental, choral and theoretical), understood first of all as a means at the service of their education.

The four poles of the project

The boys' life in the Academy is built around four poles, distinguished for teaching's sake but inseparable from one another:

• academic excellence
• human flourishing
• musical practice
• faith in daily life

I. Academic excellence

The Academy offers excellent teaching that combines high expectations with care, encouraging each boy to aim high and give his best.

Several concrete means serve this ambition:

• Boarding life — a calm learning environment, helped by a regular routine and team spirit.
• An adapted timetable that makes the most of study time and reconciles academic and artistic demands.
• Small numbers, guaranteeing close follow-up and differentiated teaching.
• Tutoring — each boy is followed individually by a tutor attached to his class, in touch with parents, teachers and educators.
• A structured approach to teaching — solid foundations in each subject (grammar, chronology, mathematical proof…) and strong consistency across subjects.
• Regular assessment — continuous assessment, weekly written tests, end-of-term examinations, mock baccalauréat papers in lycée.
• Philosophy from Première, preceded by a course in logic to sharpen judgement.
• Student-led progress reviews — from CM1, each boy prepares and opens his own review.
• Looking ahead — guidance, choice of specialties, an individual work plan, support through Parcoursup.

II. Human flourishing

The Academy proposes a project of integral education in the Salesian spirit.

Among our references: Don Bosco, Gaston Courtois and André Charlier.

The project aims to form upright men, able to fulfil their duties in life, through an education built on joy, trust and responsibility.

• Building the self — the development of the whole person (body, mind, soul, will) through Don Bosco’s Preventive System.
• The pedagogy of trust — no gossip, family spirit, affection, speaking the truth. Without family spirit, there is no affection; without affection, there is no trust; without trust, there is no education.
• Houses and teams — the boys are divided into four mixed-age houses (capitaineries), the older looking after the younger ones.
• The pedagogy of joy — daily games, cohesion weekends, festive meals, patronal feasts (Saint Dominic Savio, Saint John Bosco), Christmas celebrations, birthdays marked with a speech.

III. Musical practice

Our boys practise music two to four hours a day.

The school is structured as a pre-choir school (CM1 to 6ᵉ) and a choir school (5ᵉ to Terminale).

• Singing — the voice trained as an instrument, Vespers sung daily, sacred song at the service of the liturgy.
• Theoretical formation — musicianship, harmony, music history, masterclasses with visiting teachers.
• Instrumental practice, classical and contemporary, supervised or independent.
• Music as a means of education — a sense of the beautiful, the habit of effort, precision, memory, self-confidence, ensemble work, cohesion.
• Concerts and tours in France and abroad, at the Academy's initiative or by invitation.
• Daily auditions at lunchtime, and twice-yearly formal auditions with an external jury.
• A collaboration with the FFEA, which guarantees the quality of our musical pedagogy.

IV. Faith in daily life

The Academy is a Catholic school at the service of the Church.

Its ultimate aim is to set its members on the path to holiness.

Its spirituality comes from two complementary traditions: Salesian spirituality (gentleness, trust, charity) and scouting (poverty, abandonment, missionary fervour).

• A joyful, family life of faith — common prayers marking the days, a short prayer at the start of each lesson.
• The chapel, heart of the Academy, always open for prayer, adoration, contemplation.
• Chosen simplicity — living simply, respecting property, sharing in the upkeep.
• A chaplain appointed by the Bishop of Le Mans, overseeing catechetical formation and preparation for the sacraments.
• Annual retreat at the neighbouring abbey of Solesmes.
• A work at the service of the Church — the two forms of the Roman rite living side by side, Vespers sung daily, carefully prepared altar serving.
• Concerts and tours as special opportunities for evangelisation.
• Open to children who are far from the Church and wish to discover her teaching.