Voice for Life
Voice for Life is a training opportunity for choirs and singers of all ages whether in schools, churches, or in the community.The Royal School of Church Music has initiated this exciting development and provides the associated resources which can be purchased from Music Direct. There is also an excellent overview of this scheme at http://www.rscm.com/education/vfl/vfl.php
Voice for Life provides a framework for choral singers to develop their vocal skills, their musical understanding and their knowledge of repertoire. It provides
- A structured guide to vocal training
- Based on graded targets with informal assessment
- Supporting resources to enable teachers and choir trainers to deliver the programme with confidence
- Easy to use materials with clear layout
- Full compatibility with the RSCM Bronze, Silver & Gold singing awards
There are four levels, providing training for beginners through to advanced singers:
- Light blue
- Dark blue
- Red
- Yellow
These four levels are designed for use by singers of any age. A child can start at the first level and gradually work through all four levels. An adult singer would work through exactly the same levels.
The Light Blue level is particularly useful for you if you have been singing for some time but wish to re-establish good foundations for your voice and/or your musical understanding.
Five skills
Every level of Voice for Life provides training in five core areas:
- Using the voice well: teaching singers how to develop good vocal technique
- Musical skills and understanding: developing knowledge of music theory and notation; encourages singers to demonstrate this understanding through sight-singing and aural skills
- Repertoire: developing a good understanding of the musical and historical context of the music performed by the choir or individual singer
- Belonging to the choir: encouraging singers to view their choir as a team. They are invited to reflect upon and develop their contribution and commitment to the team
- Choir in context: encouraging singers to explore the wider context of their choir's existence
The RSCM provides a complementary system of awards to support the choir trainer and affirm the Voice for Life levels achieved within the choir. These Bronze, Silver and Gold awards are designed to be assessed through formal examination. (In some RSCM local areas the Bronze and Silver awards are called Dean's and Bishop's awards.)
Each award has its own syllabus and regulations. These come complete with guidelines to help prepare the candidate and the choir trainer for the standard expected during the examination. Successful candidates are entitled to wear a prestigious medal cast in the appropriately coloured metal (bronze, silver or gold) and these are worn on distinctive ribbons. Bronze awards are worn with a Green ribbon, Silver awards with a Purple ribbon and the Gold award with a Dark Red ribbon.
Where do these awards fit into the Voice for Life scheme?
The Voice for Life scheme and the Bronze, Silver and Gold awards are designed to fit together. They should be attempted in the following order:
- Voice for Life Light blue
- Voice for Life Dark blue
- Bronze award
- Voice for Life Red
- Silver award
- Voice for Life Yellow
- Gold award
In effect, the Voice for Life scheme provides training and preparation for the Bronze, Silver & Gold awards.
Light Blue and Dark Blue levels help a candidate prepare for the Bronze award, Red level helps a candidate prepare for the Silver award, while Yellow level helps a candidate prepare for the Gold award.
The Bronze, Silver and Gold awards affirm each of the Voice for Life levels that have been awarded informally by the choir trainer.
(Opportunity to reproduce relevant parts of the above text courtesy RSCM)
Ref: 030209 : 0419