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Frequently asked questions

Do you have a question about the RSCM?

The links below should help you to find the answer:

Why join the RSCM?

Q. Why should my church become an Affiliate of the RSCM?
A. As an Affiliate, your church or organisation plays a vital part in the RSCM's work and mission. You will receive specialist help and support through a wide range of membership benefits, such as publications, resources (including two copies of our quarterly, multi-denominational liturgy planner Sunday by Sunday), discounts, access to events and training courses for all ages and levels of ability, advice and other information to enable you to plan and carry out musical worship effectively.

Q. Why should I become an Individual Member of the RSCM?
A. If you are actively involved in church music – for example as an organist or music director responsible for planning services – consider joining us as an Individual Member. You will benefit from the opportunities, resources and discounts available to Affiliates, and play an important role in the RSCM’s work, both in your local area and nationally.

Q. My church is affiliated; why should I join as well?
A. It's great that your church is part of the RSCM! When you join or make a gift as an Individual, you become part ofan international network, committed to current best practice and the future of church music.

Q. Why should I become a Friend of the RSCM?
A. By becoming a Friend, you invest in the future of live music in worship by helping us to train current and future leaders, arrange inspirational courses and events, support RSCM choirs, encourage outreach through our network of local volunteers, and publish new music resources for churches and schools. You’ll receive regular news about church music and the RSCM, including your own copy of the Church Music Quarterly (CMQ), and have the chance to take part in festivals, events and courses in your local Area.

Q. I am a member of a choir/band; why should I become a Friend?
A. We are all in this together! By supporting the RSCM as a Friend you will not only learn more about church music yourself, but also make an investment in the future by helping to train current and future leaders.

Q. I am a member of the clergy and leave the organist / music director to take care of the music; is the RSCM relevant to me?
A. Everyone involved in planning and leading services needs to understand the role of music in worship and to work together! We are committed to supporting clergy as much as church musicians. Sunday by Sunday, the RSCM's liturgy planner, provides a comprehensive, week-by-week guide to service planning as well as helpful articles on the use of music in worship.

Q. I am a student; can you help me?
A. We offer a special membership package in the UK at substantially reduced rates for those under 18 or in full-time education.

Q. What can the RSCM offer my school or college?
A. Several hundred schools and educational establishments are affiliated to the RSCM. Schools benefit from publications and resources, and many follow the highly regarded Voice for Life chorister training scheme, as well as participating in local or national events such as the RSCM's annual Young Voices Festivals.

Q. There are five churches in my benefice. What can you offer us?
A. We have a useful affiliation package for you! 'Affiliate Plus' enables a Team or Benefice to join us for the standard cost of affiliation and receive two quarterly mailings and the other benefits we offer; they can 'bolt on' extra mailings for a cost of £25 per additional correspondent.

Q. I am a member of the Guild of Church Musicians / Friends of Cathedral Music / RCO; why should I join the RSCM?
A. We work in partnership with many other groups, but the RSCM has its own unique mission, which is to promote and enable the very best use of music in worship – whatever the resources, style or denomination. The RSCM is a large organisation with 8,500 members across the world, making us a powerful advocate for this mission. Your support enables us to expand the resources and programmes we offer and serve churches, individuals and worshipping communities more effectively.

Q. Do I have to be a member to go on a course or take part in an event?
A. You don't have to be a member to take part in RSCM events, but you will receive greatly discounted rates if you do join.

Q. Can you put me in touch with other RSCM members?
A. The best point of contact is through the Secretary of your local RSCM Area committee. You can find their contact details in the back of our event listing available to members, The Network, and on the Area pages of our website.

Money

Q. Is the RSCM a charity?
A. Yes, the RSCM is a charity, number 312828. We rely on subscriptions from members and the gifts of Friends, funds raised by our volunteers, donations and legacies, course fees, and music sales. Friends can Gift Aid their subscription, while any donation made by UK taxpayers in addition to their membership fees can also benefit from Gift Aid. You can download a form from our website.

Q. Our church is very poor; we don't have any money in the budget.
A. We are very aware of rising costs facing churches and increased diocesan contributions. When you join the RSCM, you help to keep costs down for all of our members, because we can produce more publications and fill more courses at a lower per-head expense.

Q. What do I get for my money?
A. Depending on your membership category, you receive a specific package of membership benefits, including a free subscription to our range of membership publications (for Affiliate and Individual Members this includes the liturgy planner Sunday by Sunday), and discounts on RSCM publications, choir robes and course bookings. You will also benefit more widely from the work we do to encourage singing, develop training programmes, represent church music within national and international church bodies, and ensure the development and availability of repertoire. More . . .

Q. What do you do with my membership subscription?
A. We use gifts and membership dues to publish printed resources; run, promote, and develop our range of practical and applied training programmes; and work with our large network of volunteers – locally and internationally – to administer and carry out our work.

Different kinds of congregations

Q. My church is not Anglican; is the RSCM for me?
A. The RSCM aims to meet the needs of all those engaged in church music. We are open to every church denomination, and count a large number of school and community choirs among our members.

Q. My church doesn’t have a choir; is the RSCM for me?
A. Few churches have choirs these days! But almost all churches recognise the importance of music in worship. We support organists, pianists who want to become organists, instrumentalists, and solo singers. Our liturgy planner Sunday by Sunday is ideal for clergy who choose hymns and songs without the help of an organist or director of music.

Q. My church doesn’t have an organ; is the RSCM for me?
A. You don't need to have an organ to have good church music. We want to help you to find the right music for your church.

Q. My church is evangelical/my church is charismatic/my church doesn’t have traditional music; is the RSCM for me?
A. We work with churches across the whole spectrum of theology and churchmanship. The important thing is to have good music that is appropriate for your church, your community, and your worship context and theology. Many churches have also discovered the richness of having different styles of music at different services or within a single service.

Magazines

Q. Church Music Quarterly doesn't quite meet my needs . . .
A. We have been listening to comments from our current members and Friends. In response we have given CMQ a new look. Let us know if you have any specific ideas for how we can make your magazine better by contacting us at marketing(at)rscm.com

Q. Can I just subscribe to Sunday by Sunday? Can I get extra copies?
A. Sunday by Sunday is a benefit of membership for Individual Members and Affiliates. If you are an Affiliate member you can purchase extra copies of the entire quarterly mailing package (see 'Affiliate Plus' membership, above).

Q. My church doesn't use the Common Worship lectionary. Is Sunday by Sunday any use?
A. We use the Common Worship lectionary (recommended Bible readings) to guide our choice of hymns, songs, and anthems in Sunday by Sunday. Where the Revised Common Lectionary offers a different provision, we allow for that too. Even if your church doesn’t strictly follow a lectionary, you will still find much of the content helpful because it is based on the seasons of the church year. In June 2009 we expanded Sunday by Sunday to include feature articles, training material and reviews of printed music, making it even more useful to members from different traditions.

Q. I want to save the planet! Can you communicate with me electronically?
A. We are developing our website and have also launched an email newsletter which is available to everyone, whether you are an RSCM member or not. Not everything can be posted online since those who plan music and worship need need hard copies of the resources available to members. That said, please let us know how we can best serve you and reduce our use of paper. To help defray our mailing costs and keep our membership rates low, we offer a limited number of advertisers the opportunity to include relevant publicity material inside our quarterly mailing package.

Q. How often will you contact me?
A. We send a quarterly mailing to members and Friends, and an email newsletter to which you can subscribe online. Your RSCM Area may also contact you from time to time with details of local events.

Publishing

Q. What does the RSCM publish? Is it suitable for my church?
A. RSCM Press publishes church music and educational materials. Our music covers the full range of musical styles and resources, serving the needs of everyone from those with no choir to those with lavish musical offerings. Most of the music is selected with the 'middle ground' in mind.

Q. We have a very small music budget. What discounts are available to members?
A. Affiliated churches and choirs receive 25% discount on RSCM publications purchased through RSCM Music Direct. Individual Members receive 12.5% discount. Many of our core publications have photocopiable pages to make them even more affordable for small churches or choirs.

Q. Why are the discounts only on RSCM publications?
A. RSCM is not a trading company, and RSCM Music Direct sales are handled by our partners, Norwich Books and Music. The terms we get from other publishers and suppliers vary. However, please do contact Matthew at Norwich Books and Music (musicdirect(at)rscm.com) if you are ordering more than single copies. We can often negotiate with publishers and suppliers for larger orders.

Education, courses and events

Q. What events are happening in my area?
A. Details of local UK and Ireland events can be found on our Area pages. Some local Areas have their own websites, with further information and contacts. Full details are also published in our quarterly event listing, The Network, which we send to our members. The RSCM's centrally run residential courses take place in different parts of the country during the year, so be sure to check the RSCM website to see what’s coming up near you!

Q. Is there a minimum standard to enrol on a course?
A. There is no minimum standard for many of our residential courses, even the organists' courses, Young People's courses or Singing Breaks, which attract people of all ages and levels of ability. The educational programmes (Voice for Life and Church Music Skills) offer different levels according to experience, while places on Cathedral Courses are allocated by audition. Our Education department can provide further advice at education(at)rscm.com.

Q. I am a pianist who just about manages to play the organ at church. Where / how can I find basic training to help me play for the services?
A. Our new Church Music Skills programme provides training through a distance-learning scheme, so that you can develop your skills as you play at your own church. RSCM Press is about to publish a series of tutor books, The Complete Church Organist, to support the programme. We also welcome beginners at our residential courses for church organists, offering small-group tuition on technique and service-playing skills under the direction of an experienced and sympathetic team. Local RSCM Areas also offer occasional workshops and training.

Q. I am an RSCM member. Can I advertise my event / concert on the web or elsewhere, even though it is not an official RSCM event?
A. RSCM members can place display or classified advertisements in the Church Music Quarterly (CMQ) at a discounted rate. Advertisements are also posted free on our classifieds web page where details of current rates are available.

Q. What is 'Voice for Life'?
A. Voice for Life supports and promotes singing in churches, schools, and other communities. The programme provides a comprehensive range of training materials, repertoire, courses, and training choirs such as the RSCM Cathedral Singers, RSCM Voices and RSCM Millennium Youth Choir. It enables choir trainers and teachers to work with their singers more effectively and helps singers to grow as people as well as musicians. Our popular and effective new White Level for beginner singers is available to download free for a limited time.

Q. What is 'Church Music Skills'?
A. Church Music Skills is a pioneering education programme designed to help practising church musicians develop the skills they need for their role. The programme is flexible, with the option to pursue a formal qualification or to 'mix and match' units of learning according to individual needs. The student selects the most appropriate 'stream' to pursue (e.g. for organists, choir directors, cantors, or music group leaders) and then supplements this with a range of supporting studies. Church Music Skills is based on distance learning, combining private study at home with practical experience in the student's own church.

Do you have a question we haven't answered?

Contact us at enquiries(at)rscm.com or +44(0)1722 424848.