Many studies of literacy and liturgy in the late medieval period examine the rise of the vernacular and the shift from orality and the performance of sacred texts to personal reading of written texts. However, this study empahsises the continued importance of ritual performance in the liturgy, with special attention drawn to the history of the 'song school' which was devoted to training young boys as choristers. By looking at reading and singing in institutions outside the restraints of the monastery and cathedral, Katherine Zieman examines how these practices adapted and evolved. Her final two chapters consider these attitudes and practices with reference to Piers Plowman and