Voice for Life Songbooks
It is vitally important, if you want to engage the singers in a choir, to choose the right repertoire. A range of repertoire is being developed in line with the Voice for Life philosophy to give singers the opportunity to:
- enjoy using their voices
- learn to use their voices well
- experience a range of musical styles
- sing both accompanied and a cappella
- develop their musical skills and understanding
Voice for Life Songbooks
The two Voice for Life Songbooks contain a range of material compiled with young people and singers at beginner and intermediate levels in mind. With traditional church music, gospel and jazz, and songs from around the world, these volumes will appeal to singers of all ages, and provide your choir with the opportunity to explore a range of musical styles.
The vocal parts are photocopiable so you only need to purchase one book for your choir. They also come with a demonstration CD to provide guidance on how the songs sound, and also for those who are not confident at reading music, so they can listen to their part and learn it.
There are training notes which accompany each piece to provide ideas about how to introduce each song in rehearsals, ideas for a creative performance, and how to use the song to develop your singers’ voices and musical understanding.
There is an additional CD of piano accompaniments available for purchase which you can use in rehearsals if you do not have a pianist.
Voice for Life Festival Services
Every year the Voice for Life team produces a new themed festival service. This is part of the RSCM’s outreach to encourage and inspire singers.
Several RSCM Areas in the UK invite schools and church choirs to bring boys and girls to sing in Young Voices Festivals under expert music direction in beautiful venues. Individual items from the Voice for Life festival service books can subsequently be used in a choir’s home church or school in special services, concerts or assemblies.
Choirs may like to put on their own special service in their church, school or community using the festival service resources. The music is arranged for equal voices and can therefore be used by mixed voice or upper voice choirs. Choirs might use the Festival Service as a fundraising event, or to mark RSCM Music Sunday. A guidance pack to help organise your own event can be found on the Young Voices Festival page below.
What is included in a Voice for Life Festival Service?
- all the musical items
- liturgy and prayers
- readings (including bible readings, poetry and prose)
- an order of service to copy and hand out to your congregation
- the majority of Festival Services include audio recordings of the pieces, and piano accompaniments that you can sing to in rehearsals if needed
Voice for Life Festival Services
Each Festival Service is designed to help you put on a performance of the service in your own church, school or community.
All God's People
Celebrating God's gift of diversity, this service explores themes of God's diverse creation, being afraid to be different, and striving for unity in Christ.
Resources: book and CD-ROM containing all the materials needed to print music books for the singers and congregational service sheets, plus performance and backing tracks, and training notes.
Let it Shine!
A festival service celebrating God’s love for us, and exploring how we can reflect that love in the world around us.
Resources: CD-ROM containing all the materials needed to print music books for the singers and congregational service sheets, plus performance and backing tracks, and training notes.
Search for Peace
A selection of music to express our yearning for peace in a troubled world.
Resources: CD-ROM containing materials needed to print music books for the singers and congregational service sheets, plus performance and backing tracks, and training notes; each choir will also need a copy of Voice for Life Songbook 1.
How can I keep from singing?
To mark the 80th anniversary of the RSCM in 2007, this service, entitled ‘How can I keep from singing?’, celebrates the joy of song. It combines much-loved traditional hymns with uplifting new songs and anthems from the Voice for Life Songbook in a wide range of musical styles.
Resources: CD-ROM containing materials needed to print music books for the singers and congregational service sheets, plus performance and backing tracks, and training notes; each choir will also need a copy of Voice for Life Songbook 1.
Road to Freedom
Road to Freedom is a celebration of African and Gospel music. It tells the powerful story of the African-American people and their journey from slavery to liberation. It also considers the way in which we are all on a road to freedom through faith and hope. The repertoire includes catchy African songs, fresh new arrangements of well-known spirituals and uplifting music from the gospel tradition.
Resources: Each singer will need a copy of the Festival book (none of the material is photocopiable). Each book contains all the musical items, readings, and prayers. A separate CD-ROM contains the congregational order of service, and performance and backing tracks.
Care for the world
An inspirational service focusing on the environment and considering our responsibility as stewards of God’s creation. The service draws together a wide variety of musical styles including African folk music, jazz, anthems and hymns, with contributions from Bob Chilcott, Andrew Carter, Mozart, Beethoven, John Harper and Geoff Weaver.
Resources: Each singer will need a copy of the Festival book (none of the material is photocopiable). Each book contains all the musical items, readings, and prayers. A separate CD-ROM contains the congregational order of service, and performance and backing tracks.
Bread for the hungry
A thought provoking service focusing on major themes in Christian life: poverty and hunger, harvest, One World Week and Christ the Bread of Life. The service brings together spirituals and folk music from Africa and America with the English tradition of anthems and hymns. Exciting new pieces were composed especially for this collection by John Barnard, John Harper, Philip Moore and Geoff Weaver.
Resources: Each singer will need a copy of the Festival book (none of the material is photocopiable). Each book contains all the musical items, readings, and prayers.
Called for a purpose
A celebration of the work of John Wesley. The music, from a wide range of traditions, draws inspiration from Wesley's life.
Resources: Each singer will need a copy of the Festival book (none of the material is photocopiable). Each book contains all the musical items, readings, and prayers.
Voice for Life Repertoire for awards
To help singers and choir trainers prepare for the Bronze and Silver awards, the RSCM has produced two repertoire collections with these awards in mind.
The Bronze Collection
The Bronze Collection is a comprehensive and varied selection of 34 easy anthems and songs, including many favourites as well as specially commissioned works.
Chosen with the Bronze award syllabus of the Voice for Life scheme firmly in mind, this collection provides choirs with an indispensable selection of anthems covering the entire Church’s year at a consistent level of difficulty.
The Silver Collection
The Silver Collection is a comprehensive and varied selection of 30 anthems; many specially commissioned and published for the first time.
Chosen with the Silver award syllabus of the Voice for Life scheme firmly in mind, this collection provides choirs with an exciting selection of anthems covering the entire Church’s year at a consistent level of difficulty.